Félix Aráuz (2 May 1935 – 28 February 2024) was an Ecuadorian painter. Aráuz was among the art circles of Enrique Tábara,

Aníbal Villacís Aníbal Villacís (11 November 1927 Ambato, Ecuador – 7 March 2012) was a master painter from Ecuador who used raw earthen materials such as clay and natural pigments to paint on walls and doors throughout his city when he could not afford expen ...

, José Carreño, and

Juan Villafuerte Juan Villafuerte (July 19, 1945 – August 15, 1977) (Juan Antonio Villafuerte Estrada) was an artist known for his transmutated drawings and paintings. Villafuerte is among the ranks of other prominent Latin American painters such as Eduar ...

. In 1957, Aráuz began studying under César Andrade Faini at the School of Fine Arts. During his second year, his father died leaving Aráuz feeling nostalgic and isolated. Aráuz funneled his emotions into his work creating some of the most beautiful, heartfelt and dreamlike imagery to date. Both his use of color and his compositions are strong and designed to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Aráuz's subjects usually include surreal flower arrangements, the innocence of children, faces, 'trees of life', landscapes and abstracts — all of which are created with a personal dreamlike aesthetic. In 1967, Aráuz married Nila Villafuerte Estrada, older sister of

. Aráuz,

and José Carreño had a very close friendship forged at the School of Fine Arts. In the same year, Aráuz received a government scholarship to travel to the United States with the fellow master painter Gilberto Almeida a member of the VAN group, an artists' collective founded by Enrique Tábara,

, and Jaime Villa in order to study galleries and museums throughout

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, and

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. In 1970, arranged through his friend, Jaime Andrade, Aráuz exhibited two paintings at the

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in Washington, D.C. and at Gallery Kromex in New York. Both exhibits were considered notable. In 1971, Aráuz obtained The Great Prize of Julio National Hall in Guayaquil. In 1987, Aráuz traveled to

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, Switzerland to exhibit with his friend Eloísa Melo. From there, Aráuz traveled to

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and exhibited with Víctor Mideros. Finally, Aráuz met up with longtime friend and colleague José Carreño in

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. Aráuz was a professor at the School of Fine Arts beginning in 1966 and continued to paint in his studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Aráuz died on 28 February 2024, at the age of 88.Fallece Félix Aráuz, el ‘artista de las caritas’, a los 88 años

Awards and medals

1965 & 1969 Second Prize, National Hall, October, Guayaquil, Ecuador 1963 & 1972 First Prize, National Hall, October, Guayaquil, Ecuador 1968 Great prize, Gold Medal, National Hall, Guayaquil, Ecuador 1971 Great Prize, National Hall, Guayaquil, Ecuador 1975 Second Prize, National Hall, Guayaquil, Ecuador 1981 Gold Medal of Artistic Merit, granted by the illustrious Municipality of Guayaquil. 1996 Gold Brush Cultural Association.

References

Sources

* Municipalidad de Guayaquil - www.guayaquil.gov.ec/data/salondejulio/antecedentes.htm * Salvat, ''Arte Contemporáneo de Ecuador''. Salvat Editores Ecuatoriana, S.A.,

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, 1977. * Arte Ecuatoriano, Salvat, Volume IV. 1935 births 2024 deaths Guayaquil Ecuadorian modern painters Artists from Guayaquil {{Ecuador-painter-stub