Balancing Act: The Paintings of Fanny Sanín

Latin American art is often known for its brightly colored, fantastical works—most notably portrayed in Frida Kahlo’s Surrealist paintings—as well as its use of magical realism and folk mythology. However, the breadth of the region reaches into widely varied art forms, such as geometric abstraction, which originated in Europe and spread throughout Latin America between the 1930s and 1970s. Sanín became a pioneer of the geometric abstraction movement and a key figure in modern Latin American art.


Frida Kahlo, Marxism Will Give Health to the Ill, 1954; Museo Frida Kahlo

During the mid-20th century, many Latin American countries experienced extended periods of civil unrest, tumultuous government, and stalling economies. Geometric abstraction is based on systematic expressions of organization and structure that many artists’ lives and environments may have lacked. Although Sanín left Colombia to study at the University of Illinois in 1962 and continues to work abroad, her paintings reflect her identity, rooted in Colombia.

As a student, Sanín explored sculpture, architectural drawing, theatre set design, and printmaking, but ultimately dedicated herself to painting. She believes the medium allows her to delve most deeply into pure abstraction, devoid of figurative representation.

Initially, Sanín created works using a gestural abstract style, like contemporaries Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, and Joan Mitchell, but found her true voice in the geometry of hard-edge, symmetrical compositions filled with flat planes of color.

Living in England early in her career provided Sanín with access to the greater European art world and introduced her to paintings by Ellsworth Kelly, Morris Louis, Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Mark Rothko, and Frank Stella. Their adept and radical employment of scale and color proved inspirational. Sanín also points to Wassily Kandinsky and Henri Matisse as influences.

Wassily Kandinsky, Sketch 160A, 1912; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

To construct visual discipline in her paintings, Sanín explores spatial order through symmetry. Color and form are the artist’s only subject matter. Her methodical artistic process—meditative in nature—includes creating multitudes of preparatory studies and mixing her own hues.

Sanín was one of the few female geometric abstraction artists, and she breathed life into the genre, particularly at a time when other artistic genres often overshadowed it. In the under-recognized field of Latin American geometric abstraction, it is important to note Sanín’s contributions creating artwork reflective of the political, economic, and social realities in Latin American history.