José Antonio Velásquez (1906–1983) was a self-taught Honduran painter. His work can be seen at the Art Museum of the Americas in

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José Antonio Velásquez was known as a "

Primitivist Primitivism is a mode of aesthetic idealization that either emulates or aspires to recreate a "primitive" experience. It is also defined as a philosophical doctrine that considers "primitive" peoples as nobler than civilized peoples and was an o ...

" painter who depicted Honduran landscapes and street scenes.

Biography

Antonio Velásquez was born in Valle in Honduras on February 8, 1906. He moved to San Antonio de Oriente around 1930. That region and its vivid rural life provided the subject matter for many of the artist's paintings. He worked various trades, including as a barber and telegraph operator. Both the residents of San Antonio de Oriente and

Hondurans Hondurans (Spanish: ''Hondureñas'' or ''Hondureños'') are the citizens of Honduras. Most Hondurans live in Honduras, although there is also a significant Honduran diaspora, particularly in the United States, Spain, and many smaller communiti ...

at broad held great acclaim for José Antonio Velásquez. He died of a heart attack in 1983 in

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. Honduran intellectuals such as Filadelfo Suazo memorialized Antonio Velásquez in poems and newspaper articles after his death.

Art and legacy

Although Antonio Velásquez was self-taught and relatively isolated in a rural municipality, his art was well known nationally and internationally by the 1950s. Due to his lack of professional training as an artist and non-

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

subject matter, his art is often considered

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

and "

." He was included in the 1951 Latin American Art Biennial. His artwork has been displayed in the

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, and many

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n countries. The Organization of American States sponsored a 1972 documentary about José Antonio Velásquez narrated by the actress Shirley Temple. Honduran writers such as Rafael Heleodoro Valle and Filadelfo Suazo lauded Antonio Velásquez as a national treasure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velasquez, Jose Antonio 1906 births 1983 deaths Honduran painters