“Venearte” Venezuelan Art – Daniela Caldera

This urban work depicts a half-naked, voluptuous woman in a suggesting position and with an uncomforted look of in her face. This is an example of a common sight in the streets of Venezuela, and that is the graffiti made in several walls. Sadly, many of these works are not of a high-quality as the one seen here, most are crude and without artistic value, which makes an interesting contrast when one such as the one seen here is made.

This textile bag, created in the pre-Columbus era was used by the indigenous peoples of South America, such as the ones that inhabited early Venezuela. These were used to carry food or plants collected while working the fields, their specific content varying depending on which culture employed them. The sewn, almost fabric-like materials used also depended on the region and the culture that made them.

This painting depicts an Orchid and two hummingbirds in what appears to be the middle of a forest while some mountains can be seen in the distance. The presence of the Orchid as well as the general tropical forest ambiance of the scene remind of Venezuelan landscapes. Orchids although not extremely common in the wild are often present in houses due to their beauty, they are difficult to take care of, and skilled care is required to have them bloom properly.

The scene shows a lake surrounded by nature in what seems to be a sort of valley, the elevation of everything around the lake gives the sense of almost looking inside a crater. The greenery of the scene also conveys the tropical topic which aids the perception of a Latin vista. In the small city observable next to the bridge a church-tower can be seen, this helps show the presence of religious topics, which is a common occurrence in the entire South-American continent.

This view of a waterfall and the subsequent river I selected because I could not find any about the Angel Falls of Venezuela, which is the tallest waterfall in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The falls are a staple of Venezuela and it is a point of great importance for us, the falls represented in this painting give a good idea for the viewer of how the Venezuelan ones might look.

This view, although on a unspecified location, shows a view of the Andes Mountains, which are located on several countries, including Venezuela. There is no way of telling whether this view is in the portion of the mountain range that is located in Venezuela, but the general sense of nature presence, the vastness of the valley and the calmness of it all is what comes to the minds of the Venezuelan people when we think of the mountains.

This painting depicts the traditional clothing of the people that inhabited the Andes Mountains; these people were usually farmers, shepherds or general field-workers. The attires depicted here were the traditional clothes used for many years in Venezuela, being most common in mountainous regions (such as the Andes). Different zones of the country had some variations of these clothes, coastal regions favored simpler robes used when fishing or working in boats, while higher-altitude regions favored thicker variations.

The Venezuelan “Cuatro” is a small, wooden guitar similar in size, shape and sound to the Hawaiian Ukulele. The one shown here has a simple design, as these are not usually adorned or decorated; their wooden body is a staple of Venezuelan tradition and the sound is recognized instantly by any who hears it.

This simple and small painting was created by Camille Pissarro on 1854 depicts a small bridge in the Caracas region of the country with some people going on it and some watching from the space bellow. The color scheme gives the painting a sense of heat that is always present in the country, and the palm tree on the side of one of the hills is a view every Venezuelan recognizes easily, even though these are not as common in Caracas as in regions closer to the coast.