Félix Perdomo (1956-2015)
Venezuelan painter, draftsman and sculptor Félix Perdomo died in the early morning of Wednesday, June 10, 2015. Recognized with numerous awards, Perdomo was an artist with a coherent aesthetic trajectory who was particularly interested in the expressiveness of the visual space and its material quality. His work is characterized by silent and timeless atmospheres that enigmatically combine everyday elements and the intangible world, in order to elicit reflection on the complex meanings of the lightness of human existence.
Born on July 8, 1956, in Santa Teresa del Tuy, Miranda State, Perdomo studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas Cristóbal Rojas in Caracas (1976–1979) and at the Intituto Pedagógico in Caracas (1980–1986), where he also attended the workshop El Herbario (1984–1990). According to Susana Benko, the group of the Taller Libre de Dibujo of the Instituto Pedagógico developed a characteristic style: "They drew in small format and consolidated a spontaneous style characterized by childlike clumsy strokes, in opposition to the purity that emanated from kinetic art or the virtuosity of the drawing of the 1970s."("The Spaces of Felix Perdomo," published in ArtNexus No. 42; and in Arte en Colombia No. 88. November–January, 2002). His work was awarded on numerous occasions.
Thematically, Perdomo was interested in urban violence, rug weaving, circus silhouettes and still lifes. He appeared to use form as an excuse to delve into textures and the pictorial space; in pursuit of a deep understanding of meanings that were not based on rational concepts and that could solely be understood within the oneiric world of art that stems from our creative nature.
One of Perdomo's last exhibitions was presented at the Galería de Arte Florida in 2011, after 12 years of not showing his work and after three years of preparation for the exhibition. Curated by Bélgica Rodríguez, the show included a series of 21 works presented under the title of Las Sombras en el Espacio (Shadows in the Space). Perdomo confessed that he reworked and modified the pieces many times until he was satisfied with the result. Relentless in his commitment to the process of introspective exploration, he did not care about the art market or about securing the exclusivity of certain art institutions in which to showcase his work. What truly interested him was the act of painting itself and, beginning in the mid-1990s, in sculpture—although he regarded sculpture as an extension of painting and a way to escape and renew his artistic approach. In Venezuelan art, Felix Perdomo is a referent of the art of the 1980s. He will be remembered not only for his work but for his down-to-earth personality, his generosity, moving humility and for the quality of his spirit.
