Santiago Uribe-Holguín Colombia, b. 1957

Santiago Uribe-Holguín is a renowned Colombian artist who reinvents the expressive possibilities and physical properties of oil painting, one of the most emblematic techniques in the history of Western art. His abstract compositions may appear to stem from immediate gestures at first glance, yet they involve a complex process of applying layers of warm and cool colors. This method is influenced as much by the artist's hand as by the unpredictable drying times of the oil, where intuition, time, and conscious observation bring to life overlapping veils of yellows, greens, blues, and whites.

Uribe-Holguín's work synthesizes a tireless creative journey that has oscillated between figuration and abstraction, incorporating materials such as sand and marble dust to add depth to his compositions. This journey is a constant empirical investigation into painting, reflecting on approaches from the frescoes of ancient Rome to the works of Vermeer and Antoni Tàpies. His work draws particular influence from 20th-century expressionist artists like Willem De Kooning and Joan Mitchell, who explored the power and mystery of color in its purest form.

However, Uribe-Holguín's art goes beyond revisiting styles or eras; it is akin to the craft of an alchemist experimenting directly on the canvas with oil paints, binders, and solvents. His process involves working on multiple large canvases and continuously returning to them until achieving the final layer or touch.

In essence, Uribe-Holguín's art is marked by both continuity and a break from tradition, a desire to reveal and conceal, and an introspective reflection possible only through technical mastery and maturity. His work generates optical effects, transparencies, and textures with absolute fluidity, inviting viewers to decipher its subtle strata and explore each layer of the "skin" of the painting.