Eduardo Amancio Barnes (March 24, 1901 – August 31, 1977) was an Argentine sculptor, and one of his country's preeminent creators of sacred art.

Life and work

Barnes was born in

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central Argentine province of Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous city in the country, and is also the most p ...

in 1901. The self-taught sculptor worked with

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

, and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

from early in his career, and by 1939, had created a number of

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s as part of a series based on the

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...

. Barnes would subsequently devote most of his work to religious themes common to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

. Collaborating with painter Antonio Berni during the latter's early career, Barnes exhibited his works in cities across the country. The

catacomb Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

s underneath Rosario's Teatro El Círculo were then converted into the Eduardo Barnes Museum of Sacred Art in 1940. He would earn a number of awards at the National Fine Arts Salons of Buenos Aires and Rosario, and in 1950, was invited to exhibit at the International Exhibition of Sacred Art in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, as well as in the

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Biennial of 1952. He created work for the Church of the Sacred Heart in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

, for the Somisa steelworkers' community in

San Nicolás de los Arroyos San Nicolás de los Arroyos (usually shortened to ''San Nicolás'') is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the western shore of the Paraná River, from Rosario. It has about 133,000 inhabitants (). It is the administrative seat ...

, and in the Cathedral of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, among others. Barnes, however, created much his work in his native Rosario. Some of the most notable included

allegorical sculpture Allegorical sculpture are sculptures of personifications of abstract ideas as in allegory. Common in the western world, for example, are statues of Lady Justice representing justice, traditionally holding scales and a sword, and the statues of Pru ...

s for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary,

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s representing the

blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will. Etymology and Germanic paganism The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...

of the Argentine flag and General

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

for the

National Flag Memorial The National Flag Memorial (Spanish, ''Monumento Nacional a la Bandera'') in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River. It was inaugurated on June 20, 1957, the anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano ...

(1957), a series of 27 reliefs portraying the Via Crucis for the Church of Saint John the Evangelist (1966), and a monument to the founder of the Bank of Santa Fe,

Carlos Casado del Alisal Carlos Casado del Alisal (March 16, 1833 – June 29, 1899) was a Spanish Argentine businessman. Life and times Carlos Casado del Alisal was born in Villada, Palencia Province, Spain. He arrived in Santa Fe Province, Argentina in 1857, and in ...

(his best known secular work), in 1970. The noted sculptor taught in his discipline at numerous Rosario schools, serving as Professor of

Drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayo ...

at the San Martín National College No. 53, in the National Superior School of Commerce, the Bernardino Rivadavia National Girls' High School, as well as Professor of

Design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

at the University of the Littoral School of Architecture. He purchased a

vacation home A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottag ...

in Tanti, Córdoba, in which he would spend much of his later years, and adorned the entrance with a work titled '' La Vestal'' (modeled after his wife). Barnes died in 1977, in Rosario.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Eduardo 1901 births 1977 deaths Argentine people of Irish descent Artists from Rosario, Santa Fe Academic staff of the National University of the Littoral 20th-century Argentine sculptors Male sculptors 20th-century Argentine male artists