J. Fuertes is without
a doubt one of today's world-class masters. His background is extensive
and covers a span of close to fifty years. His involvement in the
art world started long ago and for the most part, his activities have
been deeply devoted to the study of the many different art forms of
the last few centuries. Moreover, his knowledge extends into the realm
of classical European schools, from the fifteenth century, to the
end of the nineteenth century, which affected the world forever by
giving birth to romanticism. During these historical periods, the
art world was to become a platform for self-expression, starting with
the primitive Flamenco tendencies, followed by the influential Italian
Rebirth, and then, the fantastic Golden Spanish Century.
As history would have it, many of these artistic styles actually opened
the door to the impressionist and expressionist movements. These in
turn flowed into the emerging cubism of Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso,
G. Braque, C. Malevich and many others. During this era of great artistic
expression, other masters gave birth to the surrealist movement. This
movement, known as surrealism, which was fathered by Andre Breton
gripped the art world and still manages to hold on today. Many others
followed, F. Picabia, Max Ernst, Dali, Clovis Truille, Ives Tanguy,
Rene Magritte, Man Ray, Dorotea Taning, Leonor Fini, Joan Miro to
name a few. |
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J. Fuertes
is without a doubt one of today's world-class masters. His background
is extensive and covers a span of close to fifty years. His involvement
in the art world started long ago and for the most part, his activities
have been deeply devoted to the study of the many different art forms
of the last few centuries. Moreover, his knowledge extends into the
realm of classical European schools, from the fifteenth century, to
the end of the nineteenth century, which affected the world forever
by giving birth to romanticism. During these historical periods, the
art world was to become a platform for self-expression, starting with
the primitive Flamenco tendencies, followed by the influential Italian
Rebirth, and then, the fantastic Golden Spanish Century.
As history would have it, many of these artistic styles actually opened
the door to the impressionist and expressionist movements. These in
turn flowed into the emerging cubism of Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso,
G. Braque, C. Malevich and many others. During this era of great artistic
expression, other masters gave birth to the surrealist movement. This
movement, known as surrealism, which was fathered by Andre Breton
gripped the art world and still manages to hold on today. Many others
followed, F. Picabia, Max Ernst, Dali, Clovis Truille, Ives Tanguy,
Rene Magritte, Man Ray, Dorotea Taning, Leonor Fini, Joan Miro to
name a few.
J. Fuertes provides a profound knowledge
of the fundamental influences that affected artists and intellectuals
all over the world. He notes that following the innovative form
of expression fathered by Andre Breton, it can be said that the
art world adopted a new philosophy, a surrealist philosophy of great
significance. Fine artists, Sculptors, Authors, Musicians, Poets
and Actors never stopped to accentuate their respective creations
with surreal images. The messages consisted in placing people and
objects where they simply did not belong, where often times, dark
humor could be discerned. Examples of this style can be found in
the works of great masters such as: Luis Bunuel, Dali, Man Ray,
Hans Bellmer to name a few.
J. Fuertes is also extremely knowledgeable of, and has acquired
a vast amount of information about the very well known and famous
Bahu-house movement. This social and artistic movement began in
Germany between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and considerably
influenced the Central European Arts, even to this day it continues
to do so. Jesus Fuertes offers all this knowledge and more. The
spirit of his heart touches upon the realm of Art History, of different
peoples, and the ongoing and evolving art forms of today which started
so long ago with the ancient pictographs, cave depictions, and sculptures
of our ancestors. He has deeply rooted interests for the primitive
arts with particular attention to African Sculptures from various
tribes. He states, " it should be noted, that many tribal works
have profoundly influenced the cubist movement of great European
masters such as Pablo Picasso, A. Modigliani, A. Giacometti, Brancusi,
Gargallo and others". Jesus Fuertes is far more to us than
a master. He is a prolific art collector, a historian, and a philosopher.
He is a piece of our human history, our living art history.
Born in Madrid, Spain on April 14, 1938, in the midst of the Spanish
Civil War, it could be said that the life of J. Fuertes was preordained
at birth. The son of an intellectual and devoted bohemian poet,
whose friends were some of Europe's most prominent notables, J.
Fuertes Sr. moved in the same literary circles as the eminent poets
Jorge Guillen and Pedro Salinas. He also shared great friendships
and idealisms with Salvador Dali, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Rafael
Alberti. These men thrived on the spiritual richness and the great
cultural changes that marked Spain in the 20th Century. It is at
this time of war and political uncertainty in Spain that, Fuertes,
a man of strong anti-totalitarian convictions, along with his young
family sought political asylum in France. While in France, Fuertes
met Pablo Picasso who at the time was involved with a group that
helped Spanish artists and intellectuals adjust to life in exile.
Fuertes began to frequent symposiums attended by Picasso and they
soon became lifelong friends. During the next thirty years, the
younger Fuertes would garner the benefits of all the creativity
that surrounded him. This enabled him to discover and cultivate
new forms of painting, and produce the magnificent works of art
the world acknowledges today.
J. Fuertes began to draw at an early age, a naturally gifted artist,
he created forms like the ones he was accustomed to seeing in the
studios of the Spanish painters in Paris. At the age of 15, Fuertes
participated in an art exhibit for the first time. It was an exposition
on Young European Painters held in Berlin. Having acquired a second
place prize, Fuertes began to rank among emerging avant-garde painters
of the time.
His first contact with the Surrealistic Movement was made through
Salvador Dali, who introduced him to Andre Breton, the father of
the Surrealistic Movement. The restless spirit of Fuertes, however,
made him receptive to other trends, other movements and quests.
He considered Surrealism at the time to be "decadent and dogmatic".
It was at this time that Pablo Picasso became enthusiastic with
the young painter's works. An assiduous contact between the great
master and Fuertes soon developed, thus, permitting Fuertes to research
the roots of Cubism. This led him to pain his first Neocubist canvas.
Following the first showing of this works in New York, Fuertes traveled
to Italy. In 1963, he received first prize in Rome for his painting
"Torneo Medieval". It is in Italy, that Fuertes develops
a profound friendship with Giorgio Chirico, the master painter of
metaphysical art.
On his return to Paris, he met Cobra group member Alechensky, who
with Apel and other artists met regularly at the celebrated "La
Coupole Café". It was at these meetings that Fuertes began
his friendship with the great abstractionist painter Viola.
It is the compilation of friends, great masters, and colorful experiences
acquired through a lifetime of travels and deep artistic insight
that have inspired the wondrous works of the great Maestro J.Fuertes.
The paintings of J.Fuertes speak in a language of visual collages
that have their base in the beauty of cubism. To contemplate one
of Fuertes' pieces of art is to contemplate beautiful creations
of life. The glorious fruits of his labor are not a miracle, but
rather the result of the systematic development of his natural talents.
Fuertes paints for an intense and constant need to live in a state
of inspiration and creativity. This authentic promise of splendor
as predicted by Leo Savage in New York several years ago, is presently
a reality of magnificence. " I have no doubts in believing
that we find ourselves in the presence of one of the last masters
of this century. And if we are talking about paintings, we cannot
leave the name of Fuertes aside. This painter and his works will,
without a doubt, proceed into history or better yet, he already
belongs in it".
Various expositions worldwide have made J.Fuertes into a well-known
painter. He has been met with the critical acclaim and the approval
of his colleagues. Consequently, attracting the curiosity and interest
of museums, collectors of modern art and the general public.
This is the great Maestro J.Fuertes, a man born in chaos, raised
in creativity, and living in a world of breathtaking colors and
shapes. This is the extraordinary artist who was christened into
the world of art by Salvador Dali, and who Pablo Picasso himself
recognized as a true "genius".
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