Simeón Gonzáles
Why did you decide to pursue a career in the Visual Arts?
When I was only ten, I was already a founding member, active in the Cuzco Association of Artists and Contemporary Art (ADAPACC). I belonged to this association until 1991. On June 20, 1996, I was named an honorary member in recognition of my work.
At the same time, I decided to sell my paintings on one of the corners of Cuzco's Plaza Mayor. My works depicted beautiful Peruvian landscapes in watercolor and I paid close attention to my surroundings. This let me capture life here with all its fascinating color. My first themes were traditional fairs, markets and especially Inca archeology such as ceramics and textiles. Andean music also figures predominantly in my paintings and has become my leitmotif.
Later, in Lima, I set up with the ASAPVIR artist association on a corner of the Parque Central de Miraflores, just as I had in Cuzco, Peru. They also let me use a workshop where I could work and live. By this time, I was working in very large format with oils, acrylics and mixed media.
Artist Statement
I love the Inca culture. I'm very interested in the musical instruments our ancestors. Many of these instruments figure in my paintings. My works are a product of this continuing search to discover the mysteries in the Andean vision of the cosmos.
Your specialties?
I obtained my first oil paints when I was ten and I began painting my sheets, curtains, the tablecloths and even my jeans. Anything and everything could become the basis for my work. At first, our economic situation led me to use a wide variety of natural materials such as different kinds of earth, oxides, plants and whatever organic compound I could to obtain distinct and surprising colors and textures. They say 'there's nothing so bad that good can't come of it' and this has proven true for me, introducing me to a new conception of art and the use of natural and recyclable materials.
What inspires you the most?
Many of my paintings have titles in Quechua, the language of the Inca who are one of my greatest sources of inspiration, a kind of generous muse.
When I was in school, I was drawn to Inca history and I've always been fascinated by everything about our ancestors. I believe that my own contribution, no matter how small, serves to strengthen the discussion of our true culture.
Favorite subjects and why?
My palette is rich, varied and abundant, and expressive brushes transport oils to the canvas in schemes, textures and blends that form plethoric volumes of qualities. But I neither persist nor stop in what I've achieved. To the contrary, I am restless, innovative and bold. I burn quickly through each stage and give birth to a new artistic process on the altar of my easel.
My artistic periods evolve and I strive to create new things, all with my own style. I take advantage of certain shades that are the mark of my peculiar idiosyncracy, from the most representative – rooted in our ancestral culture – to a suggestive, abstract language in my recent works.
I am in constant evolution. I'm an artist who doesn't stop when I feel comfortable. I investigate, I research pictorial art. I am seeking that which is fugitive and fluid, to trap it and make it unalterable within the tremendous universality of a canvas.
I'd describe my art as abstract figurative and my motivation is the beauty of nature. God is the most important of all, because he is existence and creation. I try to transmit the beauty of simple things, of objects that are often unimportant. For me, art is a gift from God, a special gift, a responsibility of transmitting life and hope. What I do is a total pleasure.
My hobbies are listening to classical music and collecting antiques. I am deeply religious and believe the artist is an instrument of God. Because my encounter with art happened when I was so young, my love and dedication have continued growing and form a part of me.
Preferred locations to work. Studio.
