The sculpture, a central art of Paraguayan culture

Sculpture is an ancient art in Paraguay, which has evolved through historical events and interbreeding. Among indigenous communities, wooden sculptures (palo santo, guayacán, karanda'y or cedar) traditionally represent anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures (yacarés, jaguars, armadillos, ñandú...). There are also many masks and apyká

, traditional benches with great symbolic power. Pieces of this kind can be seen at the Museo Etnografico Andrés Barbero, which has the largest collection of ancient objects in the country.

The Guaraníes are especially known for their sculptures of religious figures. Guaraní baroque art was born in the missions, with the reinterpretation of icons by the Guaraníes, who added their imagination and indigenous sensibility to them. These are classical religious figures (the Immaculate Conception, Jesus, St. Michael, St. Ignatius...) but the sculptures show more generous forms, faces with wider features, than the models brought from Europe. To admire fine examples of Paraguayan Baroque sculpture, visit the Museo de Arte Sacro, a very complete private collection housed in a magnificent building. The city of Altos is also known for its masks of mythological characters, while in Capiatá, Tobatí or Yaguarón, santeros

carve religious icons as they did during the missions. There are also great cabinetmakers in Paraguay, in Caaguazú or Concepción in particular. But Paraguayan sculpture is not limited to traditional or sacred techniques: the country also has a rich history in terms of modern and contemporary sculpture. The main sculptors of international renown are José Laterza Parodi (1915-1981), Hermann Guggiari (1924-2012), Hugo Pistilli (1940-2006) or the "Poet of Metal", Angel Yegros (1943) and Gustavo Beckelmann (1963-2017). Among the new generation, we can mention Juan Pablo Pistilli Miranda (1979) who studied painting and sculpture with his father, Hugo Pistilli, who was also very well known, while at the same time knowing how to distinguish himself and develop his own style. He regularly exhibits his large-format works in public spaces in order to make them more accessible. They are often a sign of protest, such as El Bicho, his 6.50 m high sculpture that he presents as a spearhead in front of the Congress, the presidential palace and the prison of Tacumbú just after the Curuguaty massacre. His memorial, created in 2015 in honour of the 400 victims of the fire at the Ykuá Bolaños supermarket (located in front of the abandoned building being converted into a memorial), is one of his most remarkable works. Like his father, he is a humble and committed artist.

From religious painting to contemporary art

Beyond the Jesuit and Franciscan polychrome religious works, modern Paraguayan painting began after the Triple Alliance War, with the arrival of the Italians Guido Boggiani (1861-1902) and Héctor Da Ponte (1879-1956) who introduced their techniques to the Paraguayan artistic scene. Paintings representative of local art can be admired at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

in Asunción, whose collection is small but nevertheless interesting. Overall, Paraguayan artistic movements are developing in harmony with major international trends. Thus, the first to join the Impressionist movement were Pablo Alborno (1875-1958), Juan Samudio (1879-1936), Jaime Bestard (1892-1965) and Modesto Delgado Rodas (1886-1963).

At the end of the 1940s, the German Wolf Bandurek (1906-1972) moved to Paraguay and introduced a new style to the local scene, with paintings close to Expressionism. In 1950, the Brazilian master João Rossi (1923-2000) brought the concepts and techniques of contemporary painting and thus laid the foundations for the group "Arte Nuevo". Created in 1954, this group brought together local artists such as Olga Blinder (1921-2008) and Hermann Guggiari (1924-2012), as well as international artists such as the Canarian Josefina Plá (1903-1999) and the Swiss artist Lilí del Mónico (1910-2002).

The 1960s and 1970s were particularly rich, with the rise of artists with original styles such as Ricardo Migliorisi (1948-2019), who was at once painter, costume designer, director and architect, and Mabel Arcondo (1940-1976) with her intensely coloured canvases, somewhere between surrealism and primitivism. Carlos Colombino (1937-2013), also an architect and writer, is one of the most internationally recognized figures. His work can be recognised at a glance by his particular use of wood, which he works in the manner of a bas-relief before painting it. Several of his works, some of them of monumental proportions, can be found in the Museo del Barro

d'Asunción. In 1964, another important group, called "Los Novísimos", appeared under the inspiration of the radical artist Laura Márquez (1929), whose work was very politically and socially committed. Today, Paraguayan visual arts have become more diverse, embracing a variety of techniques, from video to multimedia installations. Although the local art scene is still insufficiently recognized internationally, the country's cultural fabric is gradually developing thanks to its artists, but also to the other players in the art world who are fighting for their recognition: art critics, gallery owners and curators, who are increasingly active in the capital. It is Asunción that concentrates the country's creative activity, with places not to be missed such as the Galeria Matices and ofcourse the Museo del Barro.

Photography, an art in development

In Paraguay, photography has only belatedly taken its place among the artistic disciplines. Initially confined to scientific, documentary or journalistic purposes, the practice of photography did not take an aesthetic turn until the twentieth century. The old images of the country thus remain relatively rare and are limited to its monuments, landscapes and most famous personalities. From the 1970s onwards, a more experimental photography developed, with more advanced and personal styles.

Among the recognized local figures are Jesús Ruiz Nestosa (1941), Carlos Bittar (1961), Gabriela Zuccolillo (1967) and Fredi Casco (1967). This artist, photographer and writer, whose fame extends far beyond Paraguay's borders, has taken a special interest in the evolution of the medium and its place in the country's political history. He explores the latter critically through images that he recovers, retouches and diverts. One of the main themes of his work is of course the long and painful dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner and the propaganda practised by his regime. At a time of fake news

 and image manipulation, his work is more topical than ever. Finally, Mario Franco, a specialist in urban photography, runs the Institute of the Image inAsunción, where courses are given and exhibitions are organised quite regularly (www.elinstitutodelaimagen.com). The Ojo Salvaje collective also organises the "Month of Photography" every year in September with the support of various Paraguayan and foreign cultural centres (https://www.facebook.com/ojosalvaje/). Not to be missed!

Street art in Paraguay, a practice in full expansion

It is only very recently that street art has begun to be truly popular in Paraguay. The first frescoes to be painted in the streets of Asunción date from the late 1990s, the practice having been imported by those who had travelled to the United States, Europe or Brazil, where it had already spread widely.

One of the pioneers, not to say the father of street art, was Oz Montanía, who worked hard to keep this culture alive and accessible to a wide audience. Thanks to his impetus and the motivation of the local youth, the city gradually accepted and even adopted an art that was initially perceived as delinquent, to the point of hosting one of the first urban art festivals in Latin America. The "LatidoAmericano" travelling festival took place in Asunción in 2016, bringing together 40 local and international artists, who were invited to colour the city with the initial themes of flora, fauna, folklore and pre-Columbian traditions. Asunción's graffiti den is PowerLine, one of the few paint and bomb shops in Paraguay, opened by Oz Montanía himself. Much more than in the West, this practice is synonymous with solidarity and has a collective dimension, with different street artists supporting each other to spread their art despite very different styles.

 To admire the most beautiful frescoes in the country, go to the historic centre of Asunción. The distances are short, so it is very easy to walk around it. Many of them date back to the LatidoAmericano (whose map can be found at https://static.soundsandcolours.com/2018/04/latidoamericano-mapa-asuncion.jpg), such as Metamorphosis, a work by the talented Gleo, which depicts a figure with a tattooed face and a beautiful assortment of flowers and feathers. Not to be missed while there's still time!