Two visions of El Salvador

One is the product of a long and vigorous tradition, the other springs from almost no tradition at all

By Roger Hamilton

The members of one group consider themselves artists. They have had formal study in art, sell their works to a public of cognoscenti, and at least to some degree mingle with their country's cultural, political and economic elite.

People in other group call themselves farmers, fishermen or carpenters. They come home from work and maybe pick up a piece of wood and start to carve. They do what comes naturally, and their work is known and appreciated primarily by their neighbors, and by few others.

The parallel worlds of fine art and folk art seldom intersect. An exception was an exhibit at the IDB Cultural Center's Art Gallery, where "Two Visions of El Salvador" juxtaposes paintings from the first half of the century with a group of charming and expressive works of contemporary folk art.

Even though El Salvador is small, and most of the professional artists represented in the exhibit came from modest, and even poor, backgrounds, it is apparent that they have succeeded in developing a vibrant cultural movement. Most received their initial training in their home country, and then nearly all continued their study abroad. Although the themes they express are firmly rooted in their local reality, they were strongly influenced by Mexico and Europe.

A good example is Carlos Alberto Imery. At age 29 he had attracted the attention of a group of influential people in the capital, who then persuaded the president of the republic to give him a scholarship to study in Rome. After four years in Italy, and another four in Spain and France, Imery returned to El Salvador to exhibit his paintings. He sold not a single one. Imery concluded that the problem lay not in the quality of his work, but in the level of sophistication of the public. So in 1912, with official support, founded a School of Graphic Arts not only to train artists, but also educate the broader society.

Among the most outstanding of Imery's students was Luis Alfredo Cáceres. Though he never studied abroad, he was strongly influenced by Mexican muralism, and his works clearly demonstrate a love for the earth and the local culture. One of his finest compositions, "Escuela bajo el amate" (School Under the Amate Tree), appears on the right.

Throughout the early part of the century the Salvadoran art scene continued to build momentum. In 1936, the country saw the founding of both Amigos del Arte (Friends of Art), a source of charitable aid to artists, and the establishment of a painting academy by Spanish-born artist Valero Lecha. .

After World War II, divergences among members of the art community intensified with the rivalry between the "academics" and the "independents." The former, students of Lecha, worked within strict traditional framework; they were little interested in innovation. The second group was made up of artists who were more politically active and considered themselves vaguely proletarian. After considerable mutual antagonism, most of the academics left to study in Mexico, and some of the independents did the same. By the end of the 1950s, nearly all had returned home, and Salvadoran painting entered a more decidedly contemporary phase.

The independents went on to imbue their art with social purpose. "What was new," says IDB Curator Félix Angel, "was the idea of producing art with a social function, but directed at an intellectually progressive society, not at the peasant, and realizing art in a visual language not traditionally figurative."

Freedom in folk art. In contrast to the institutional development of El Salvador's formal art movement, the country lacked a strong tradition of folk art. But paradoxically, this very lack of rigid models gave practitioners great freedom and autonomy, although very limited commercial success.

Salvadoran folk artists express their rural vision with simplified but naturalistic forms of flowers, birds and other animals. This is in contrast to ethnic groups that draw inspiration from ancient cosmologies and who tend toward geometric abstraction and stylization of the natural world.

Unencumbered by tradition, a Salvadoran folk artist enters into direct contact with his material and with nature, Salvadoran popular arts expert Mario Martí writes in the IDB exhibit catalogue. "This art of the essential, made without compromise or impediment, finds in its very fragility strength born of resistance, a trait Salvadoran popular culture has demonstrated throughout its history."

A number of carvings in the IDB exhibit represent the work of local practitioners, who make saints used in home altars or traditional peasant dolls. In either case, the carvers let themselves be influenced by the shape of the wood. They take pride in making a finished piece from a single piece of wood, looking down on artisans who do otherwise.

Be it folk art or fine art, the IDB exhibit demonstrated that artistic expression reflects the social environment from which it arises, making art essential to preserving a nation’s cultural memory.

Date posted: January 2001

IDB Cultural Center website


"School Under the Amate Tree," by Luis Alfredo Cáceres.

"Washing Day," by Julia Díaz.

"Saint James," by Geidel Colocho.

"Saint Anthony," by Timoteo Mancía.