I was captivated by the amazing flare….

By Armando Morales

Art’s development, up to today, has become diversely styled, rich and majestic. It is hard for us to judge if the art is good or bad by representationalism or abstract expressionism. Styles, on which every appreciator has different perspectives and tastes, should not become the standard of being judged to be superior or inferior art works. The appropriate appraisers should be the majority of the appreciators, not those pretentious so called authoritative art critics. Every appreciator has their own appreciation standard deep form their hearts which makes them the genuine art connoisseurs. It is obviously alarming that quite a few contemporary critics suggested that Easel Painting has withered away, unaware that up to date, the number of appreciators attending various art exhibitions never decreased. The rules of art are definitely not dominated and judged by the minority of people.

I am a professional painter and, at the same time, an appreciator with strong sense of curiosity. I have my favourite artist. As to the artist I favour, I would pay close attention for a long period of time as if growing with a close friend. Some artists’ talents didn’t last long and just repeated the same patterns after a few popular creative works in a short period of time, then their art works became dull. I would be sorry for them, but stop paying attention to them gradually until they were consigned to oblivion.

Not many painters are time-proven; Nicaraguan painter Armando Morales was one of them. At the end of 1980’, the department of fine arts unexpectedly obtained a considerable amount of fund for the library to purchase professional art albums of paintings from overseas. I accompanied the library director from time to time to purchase books in foreign language bookstores, and found Morales’ painting albums by accident; I was shocked as I just stepped out of the cultural restraints, so I highly recommended my school to put them in the library’s collection.

According to school provisions, the foreign painting albums were put on the shelf of the library and were kept on reserve for the undergraduate students, but could be taken out by professors and graduate students and had to be returned to the library before closing time. I bribed the library director, who smoked a lot, with packs of cigarettes so I got the privilege to return the next day. I brought the albums back to my 6 square meter dorm, admire them day and night without distraction, then returned them the next day. I borrowed them the next day right away as I was worried that they might be borrowed by other people; for professors had the privilege to borrow them on a long-term basis. I was deeply fascinated by Morales’ paintings.

Morales was born in Nicaragua in 1927, had lived in America, France and Nicaragua, and died in Miami United States in 2011.

By Armando Morales

By Armando Morales

In his early age, his works were abstract, stressing large pieces of texture together produced amazing effects; influenced by a famous Spanish painter Antoni Tapies, Morales had thought that Abstract Expressionism and installation art were one of the mainstream styles of contemporary paintings. Morales finally figured out, after a long period of self-reflection, that abstract painting techniques were not adequate for expressing his real sentiment, that was when he finally switched to representationalism. He created a so called two-dimensional semi-space to arrange characters, scenery and objects, and configured them completely according to his subjective desires; he set up, for example, a character half three-dimensional and half two-dimensional, or clouds and sea waves can seep through the streets and houses etc. He created a misplaced world with different space-times, however, it was naturally harmonious. In addition, he intentionally blurred characters’ faces and not to portray the details. The purposely calm and stubborn arrangement, forming an intriguing tension, attracting appreciators joyfully, entering the world that the painter created and be able to visualize with the painter, instead of being concerned about the real world because of realism.

By Armando Morales

By Armando Morales

His techniques was unique, like using a blade to scratch the canvas repeatedly before sketching with pencils, which forms a rich and solid texture. He controlled the tones very carefully and expressed his yearning towards his hometown by putting on thick and passionate colors. Observing the targets as though looking through a box with a lens which is similar to Johannes Vermeer’s style, he painted on the dark canvas and created the painting effects of neon tones, which later on became the symbol of his works. He skilfully combined the abstract shapes, realistic imagines, complicated textures, solid objects, and fantasy with reality all together to form a monumentally magnificent scene. There was a timeworn funnel appearing frequently in his paintings, which was a legacy his father left him years ago.

The opening of the funnel occasionally became a head of the character, which expressed his yearning towards his family and the past. He appealed appreciators with bountiful enthusiasm. He had said,” There are many inferior painters around the world with inferior paintings. They are liars as they don’t present their real feelings. I deeply believe that I am able to be a good painter because I tell the truth. I am confident with my view point and that’s why I became a painter.” I adore Morales and always think of him as creator of the mysterious flare takes my breath away.