Miguel de la Espriella (born November 14, 1947), more commonly known by his artistic name, ''Noble'', is a self-taught painter and sculptor from

Sucre Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, whose art has been presented widely within his country and throughout the world. Noble's work principally reflects the theme of nature that he experienced in the countryside while growing up on the Colombian coast. The paintings for which he is best known are most often an integration of still lifes and landscapes with a strong "ethereal" presence related to the

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

school of magic realism and reminiscent of the land in which

Macondo Macondo is a fictional town described in Gabriel García Márquez's novel '' One Hundred Years of Solitude''. It is the home town of the Buendía family. Aracataca Macondo is often supposed to draw from García Márquez's childhood town, Aracat ...

, the imaginary town written about in " 100 Years of Solitude" by

García Márquez García or Garcia may refer to: People * García (surname) * Kings of Pamplona/Navarre ** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882 ** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970 ** García Sánchez II of Pampl ...

the winner of the 1982

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, could have been set. Indeed, it may be this essence to Noble's artwork that provoked Gabo to write about it when he said:

"There is in the painting of Miguel de la Espriella, "Noble", an explosion of light that comes from a background of shadows, the glare of the universe in the middle of a vegetable serfdom populated by birds and dragonflies. What makes an impact are his
chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
s with that essential validity that has always been present in
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
. But in the concrete case of Noble it is not about imitation, but continuity, of a process that is forever in renewal and because of that, lasts. It is the survival of art and its real mode of expression while at the same time understanding it." ublished in the Colombian magazine FAMA (2000)

Sculpture

Noble's bronze sculptures reflect more upon the normal cultural events that occur in Colombia, particularly those relating to the land and the life that is particular to that region of the world. His sculptures have covered events like

coleo is a traditional Venezuelan and Colombian sport, very similar to a rodeo, where a small group of llaneros (cowboys) on horseback pursue cattle at high speeds through a narrow pathway (called a ) in order to drop or tumble them. are usually pre ...

´s or "corralejas" - events native to where he grew up on the Colombian coast.

Signature

Noble signs his artwork with a caricature or logo representing his artistic name.

References

"NOBLE". (2000). FAMA.
Latina News (Jan. 2005)
References in Spanish

Ref. in Spanish

Sculptures
Convenio Andrés Bello
Exhibition
Article on "Noble" the artist
Article
List (in Spanish) of top 50 Colombian Artists
Top 50 Colombian Artists (in Spanish)
Miguel de la Espriella Beijing Art Exhibit - Olympics 2008Press Release (Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espriella, Miguel De La Colombian painters Colombian male painters Modern sculptors Modern painters 1947 births Living people 20th-century Colombian sculptors

Sculpture

Signature

See also

References