Mayan sites
The only archaeological site in El Salvador to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, the sitio arqueológico Joya de Cerén offers a glimpse of daily life in an agricultural town in 600 AD. Nicknamed the "Pompeii of the Americas", the village was covered in ash following the volcanic eruption of Laguna Caldera. As a result, the site remained in a perfect state of preservation until its discovery in the 1970s. Several spaces were uncovered, including a temazcal or ritual hut for purifying body and spirit by sweating. This Mayan sauna, which resembles a stone igloo, symbolizes the womb. It enables contact with the Creator before being reborn through this ritual.
The Maya are renowned for their technological advances, as well as for their deities. Polytheists, they linked their gods to the elements, the cosmos and the different worlds. The site's artifacts are on display at the museo Joya de Cerén.
The Maya conceived of pyramids as temples. Their height also enabled them to get closer to the sun, to the divine and to study astronomy. At the El Tazumal site in Chalchupa, pyramids rise up from the jungle.
In Mayan times, the sitio arqueológico San Andrés was home to 12,000 inhabitants. Excavations have revealed that San Andrés was a flourishing trading town until the early 13th century, when it was abandoned. After visiting the ruins, the San Andrés Archaeological Museum sheds light on the region's history.
Early painters
El Salvador's political instability delayed the flowering of the pictorial arts. As a result, modern trends did not infiltrate the art scene until the 20th century. Before that, painters continued to reproduce religious works, while the avant-garde exploded in Europe.
During these decades of instability, governments sent some of the first national painters to train in Europe, notably Wenceslao Cisneros and Juan Lacayo. But these young artists preferred to copy the Renaissance masters rather than innovate.
Valero Lecha (1894-1976) is one of the fathers of Salvadoran painting. He depicted the indigenous people and all their customs before turning to abstraction. An attractive part of his work is inspired by the vientos de octubre, the violent winds that blow in autumn. Lecha sets up a studio, from which great names in painting such as Raúl Elías Reyes emerge. Overflowing with imagination, Raúl Elías Reyes adopts several styles. Seascapes, architecture, the city and countryside, and the human figure were among the subjects with which he experimented with color and deconstructed form.
The entire history of Salvadoran art can be discovered at the Museo de Arte de El Salvador (MARTE), in San Salvador. Painting, sculpture, photography and the living arts are on the program in this modern building with its exemplary presentation. Don't miss the artist of the month!
Pictorial affirmation
Roberto Galicia, born in 1945 in Ahuachapán, founded Galería Forma with Julia Diaz in 1968, the country's first gallery. His work can be divided into three main periods: geometric squares with oil-painted Mayan signs, works on paper with the insertion of everyday objects, and landscapes (abstract, urban, maritime). More occasionally, he follows the minimalist and conceptual art movements.
Born in 1917, Julia Díaz reproduces a fantastic vision of reality. The landscape studies she carried out in Europe permeated her work. Her studio, set up in 1954, evolved into the Forma gallery (calle Rubén Darío), right next to the site where the Museo Forma, the first of its kind in El Salvador, was inaugurated in 1983.
At the same time, Camilo Minero took a critical look at society, adopting the social realism movement. He founded the Sociedad de Pintores Jóvenes Salvadoreños (Society of Young Salvadoran Painters) in 1967. This association was the origin of Casa del Arte.
Carlos Caña and abstraction
Carlos Cañas (1924-2013) established himself as the precursor of abstract art in El Salvador. After studying graphic arts, he went to Madrid in 1950 to study fine arts. On his return to El Salvador, he was promoted to teach at the School of Architecture. He led the "Independientes" group, opposed to academicism. An acclaimed artist, his murals adorn many of the country's public places. Although he worked in several styles throughout his career, his creations are marked by pre-Columbian culture. It was felt even more intensely during his stays in Europe. His frescoes can still be seen on the ceiling of San Salvador's Teatro Nacional, with its vaporous figures; the water mirror in Plaza Morazán; and the Universidad Nacional de El Salvador.
Antonio Bonilla was also a muralist, but also a sculptor. He is nicknamed the "maestro del feísmo", the master of a movement that values ugliness. His works present deliberately repugnant situations or characters.
Fernando Llort is best known for his mosaic on the façade of San Salvador's Metropolitan Cathedral, which was destroyed in 2011. Llort founded the workshop Cooperativa La Semilla de Dios (The Seed of God) in La Palma with the intention of spreading art among the population. Strongly influenced by Mayan culture, Llort surfed the hippie wave, then fell in love with the Catholic religion. His style blends modernity with ancestral symbols. With a touch of naiveté, he combines different techniques: painting, wood, ceramics and even music. A national reference, he exhibits in all the country's museums, galleries and fairs, as well as in the United States, including at MoMA. A museum-shop, x, exists in San Salvador.
Contemporary scene
Galería 1-2-3 claims to be the first gallery in El Salvador to present international artists. Without forgetting local artists, it exhibits Latin American masters such as Mexican painters Rufino Tamayo and Martha Chapa.
For new discoveries, Galeria Espacio exhibits painters and sculptors from all over Latin America.
Enrique Salaverria (1922-2012) studied architecture in Mexico and took up the profession on his return to El Salvador. An avid traveler, he turned to sculpture in 1978. Based on the human figure, particularly the female, his works explore surrealism. He trained artists such as the neo-figurative Benjamin Cañas.
San Salvador's urban scene covers all means of expression. Local talents express themselves through graffiti, stencils, posters, frescoes and temporary sculptures. A wide variety of themes are explored in public spaces. These pictorial messages illustrate anti-capitalism, social justice, politics, women's rights and indigenous peoples, among lighter subjects. To locate the latest creations and familiarize yourself with local street artists, visit the Street Art El Salvador Facebook page. The Fabru'S brothers are among the emblematic artists of the country and of the Ataco and Ahuachapán region, with the Memitas, symbol of the Salvadoran woman.
In the Santa Fe district, west of the capital, gangs rage. But here, the "maras" are fought on the walls. Graffiti artists arm themselves with paint and mobilize to cover their tags with more playful motifs. In so doing, they are reclaiming their streets. The initials and numbers of criminal gangs are replaced by smiling portraits, wreaths of flowers, colourful birds and flamboyant lions. The GrafiTour project, led by the city council with the support of the United Nations, aims to transform this area into an open-air museum. The idea is to combat violence and fear with color and life. To this end, the town council is inviting graffiti artists from all over the world to share their knowledge with the youth of Santa Fe.
