Olga Alba de Chica (August 21, 1921 – December 16, 2016) was a Colombian self-taught

neo-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. She achieved recognition both domestically and abroad for her work.

Biography

Olga de Chica was born in Filandia, in the coffee region of Quindío, Colombia in August 1921. She attended the Sacred Heart of Jesus High School in Filandia and the School of Fine Arts in

Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...

. De Chica started painting as a child, when it is said she used squeezed flowers in an attempt to create lively colors. However, the bulk of her lifetime was spent as the wife of a local school teacher, and the mother of two daughters and a son. It was not until she was approaching her fifties that she became a professional painter. De Chica painted in a style that is described as "

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 ...

", which she developed organically without any formal artistic training. Her works are mainly populated landscapes that communicate the look and feel of the typical, though sometimes nostalgic, life in rural Colombia. Her works are noted for their vibrant colors and charming representations of Colombian wildlife. Rural life, small towns and the coffee region of Quindío were the focus of her later work. She died in

in December 2016 at the age of 95.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chica, Olga de 1921 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Colombian women artists 21st-century Colombian women artists Colombian painters Colombian women painters