Julio Escámez Carrasco (November 15, 1925 – December 23, 2015) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an painter, engraver and

muralist A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

. His work includes numerous

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es,

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

s and

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...

s (

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

) produced both in Chile and abroad. He also designed

scenography Scenography is the practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography can be defined as the combination of technological and material stagecrafts to represent, enact, and produce a sense of plac ...

and made costumes for various

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

works, and had an outstanding career as a book

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

from diverse writers, including the poet

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

, whom he met personally. Along with other renowned painters such as Gregorio de la Fuente, with whom he collaborated in his youth for the creation of the mural ''Historia de Concepción'', he belonged to the school of muralists of Chile.

Biography

Studies in Chile and abroad

While still a teenager, he began his painting studies at the Adolfo Berchenko Academy of Fine Arts, located in Concepción, where he was also initiated in the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

. In 1943 he was chosen from among the different students of the academy, along with Sergio Sotomayor, as assistant to the muralist and painter Gregorio de la Fuente for the prestigious mural ''Historia de Concepción'' (1943-1946), located in the former Central Station of Concepción, considered "treasure of the Civic Quarter", and declared a Historic Monument of Chile. Later he moved to

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, where he continued his art studies at the School of Fine Arts and School of Applied Arts of the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, where he had as teachers Laureano Guevara in Mural Painting, Marco Antonio Bontá in Graphic Arts, Gregorio de la Fuente himself and Israel Roa. Once back in Concepción, he worked as a professor of engraving and mural painting at the ''Academia Vespertina de Concepción''. But Escámez, who was interested in

pre-Columbian culture This is a list of pre-Columbian cultures. Cultural characteristics Many pre-Columbian civilizations established permanent or urban settlements, agriculture, and complex societal hierarchies. In North America, indigenous cultures in the Lower ...

, decided to travel to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, a trip that lasted until 1953, when he returned to Chile and was hired as a professor of Mural Painting at the Art Institute of the

University of Concepción Universidad de Concepción (UdeC) is a traditional Chilean private university. The work of the Penquista community, it is one of the most prestigious in Chile, and considered complex due to its extensive research in the various areas of knowled ...

, where he also taught easel painting,

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

and

drawing Drawing is a Visual arts, visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface, or a digital representation of such. Traditionally, the instruments used to make a drawing include pencils, crayons, and ink pens, some ...

. Between 1955 and 1957 he went to study with a scholarship to the Academy of Fine Arts in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, the mural technique of

, especially the painting of the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries by

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...

and

Piero della Francesca Piero della Francesca ( , ; ; ; – 12 October 1492) was an Italian Renaissance painter, Italian painter, mathematician and List of geometers, geometer of the Early Renaissance, nowadays chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting is charact ...

. He then continued studying at the academy of fine arts in Düsseldorf,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where he worked in Graphic Arts and Painting Technology, and later continued studying at the Vienna museum of art history,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. In addition, he also studied at the Patrice Lumumba University in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, and during these years he was invited to Russia, China, Japan and India, countries where he exhibited his works.

Exile in Costa Rica

Once back in Chile, after the 1973 ''coup d'état'' that initiated the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

, the painter fled into self-

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

, settling in San José, capital of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. During his absence, part of Escámez's work was abandoned, deteriorated or destroyed. In 1974 a mural of his in the session hall of the municipality of

Chillán Chillán () is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Ñuble Region, Diguillín Province, Chile, located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the center of the country. It has been the capital of the new Ñuble Region since ...

was covered with paint, being censored by the military of his country. The following year, the old Enrique Molina Garmendia High School was demolished, and with it his fresco ''El hombre ante el micro y macrocosmos'' was destroyed. His murals ''Historia de la medicina y la farmacia en Chile'' (History of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chile) and ''Historia de Lota'' (History of Lota) were damaged when people without the necessary skills and knowledge tried to restore them. In Costa Rica, the artist has worked since 1974 as a professor at the School of Plastic Arts of the National

University of Costa Rica The University of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Universidad de Costa Rica,'' abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro Mo ...

, located in Heredia, in the subjects of Aesthetics and Graphic Techniques. He is also an ''

ad honorem ''Ad honorem'' is a Latin phrase that literally can be translated as "to the honor". When used today, it generally means "for the honor of"; that is, not seeking any material reward. It is commonly used in universities for certain unpaid teaching ...

'' advisor to the Ministry of Culture for the restoration and conservation of national monuments, carrying out important works and conservation work for the Costa Rican Museum of Art, in addition to dedicating himself to the

, taking up a discipline he had already experimented with in Concepción, highlighting his stagings of works by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and Bocaccio Casona, as well as others carried out for the National Ballet of Costa Rica. In addition, Escámez works as an illustrator and art theorist for university publications and books by various authors.

Work

Style

The work of Julio Escámez belongs to the current of

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

with a strong social content, dealing with themes of popular everyday life and the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

landscape. Some of his works, such as the mural located in Concepción ''Historia de la medicina y la farmacia en Chile'' (1957-1958) belong to the so-called

social realism Social realism is work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers, filmmakers and some musicians that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures ...

, initiated in that area by Gregorio de la Fuente, but replacing the

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

used by De la Fuente with a more descriptive and anecdotal style. Some of his large-format oil paintings, on the other hand, are influenced by

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

. His mural painting is strongly influenced by

Mexican muralism Mexican muralism refers to the art project initially funded by the Mexican government in the immediate wake of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) to depict visions of Mexico's past, present, and future, transforming the walls of many public buil ...

, particularly that of

David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...

and

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

. In his murals he often criticizes the spiritual crisis generated by

industrialization Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...

, as well as other conflicts of modern man. An example of this is his mural ''De principio a fin'', located in

. His recurring themes are the sense of identity, respect for the idiosyncrasy and concerns of the people, work rooted in the land and mineral exploitation, as in the case of his mural Historia de Lota, where he depicts the exploitation of coal in the city of Lota.

Individual exhibitions

Historia_de_la_medicina_y_la_farmacia_en_Chile

* 1959 - Bharatieja Uitya Bhranau Cultural Institute,

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, India. * 1959 -

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

, Japan. * 1969 - ''Escámez Drawings''. National Museum of Fine Arts,

, Chile. * 1972 - Mural ''De principio a fin'' del Salón de Honor de la Municipalidad de

, Chile. * 1978 - El Caballo Verde Art Gallery, Concepción, Chile. * 1988 - El Caballo Verde Art Gallery, Concepción, Chile. * 1988 - ''Drawings and Engravings by Julio Escámez''. Modern School of Music, Santiago. * 1996 - ''Retrospective of Paintings, Drawings and Engravings''. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago. * 1996 - Engravings at El Caballo Verde Art Gallery, Concepción, Chile. * 1997 - ''Julio Escamez'', ''Paintings''. El Caballo Verde Art Gallery, Concepción, Chile. * 2001 - ''The Fronda Florida. Julio Escamez Exhibition''. Chilean-North American Institute of Culture. Concepcion. Concepción, Chile. * 2007 - ''Paintings and Drawings''. Codelco Cultural Gallery, Santiago, Chile.

Collective exhibitions

* 1954 - ''Exhibition Homage to Pablo Neruda. Scenes of Chile''. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago. * 1955 - ''One Hundred Years of Chilean Painting''. Exhibition Hall of the Journalists Circle, Santiago. * 1956 - ''Contemporary Art of Chile''. Carnegie International Center, United States. * 1960 - Exhibition of Chilean Engravings.

Lima Art Museum The Lima Art Museum (Museo de Arte de Lima, MALI) is an art museum in Lima, Peru. The museum is located in the Palacio de la Exposición. The museum was inaugurated in 1961. The collection includes ceramics, textiles, sculptures, and paintings su ...

. * 1963 - ''First American Biennial of Engraving''. Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago, Chile. * 1970 - ''Collective Exhibition''. Concepcion, Chile. * 1970 - ''Contemporary Chilean Engraving''. Casa de la Cultura Jalisciense,

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, Mexico. * 1971 - ''Collective Chile-Cuba''. Museum of Contemporary Art,

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, Santiago. * 1972 - ''150 Years of Chilean Painting''. '' Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes'',

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina. * 1974 - ''Drawings and Prints of the Museum of Contemporary Art''. University of Chile, Santiago. * 1976 - ''Century and a Half of Chilean Painting''. Las Condes Cultural Institute, Santiago. * 1976 - ''Museum of Contemporary Art''. University of Chile, Santiago. * 1988 - ''Three Centuries of Drawing in Chile, Germán Vergara Donoso Collection of the National Historical Museum''. Las Condes Cultural Institute, Santiago, Chile. * 1989 - ''20th Century Plastic Arts''. Municipal Casino of

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located withi ...

, Chile. * 1990 - ''Municipal Art Awards''.

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile; ) is a traditional private university based in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the thirteen Catholic universities existing in Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical univ ...

, Regional Office

Talcahuano Talcahuano () (From Mapudungun ''Tralkawenu'', "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile. ...

, Chile. * 1994 - ''Realisms in Chilean Painting'' ''(XX Century).'' Cultural Institute of Providencia, Santiago. * 1995 - ''Illustrated Book Covers Exhibition,

Major University Universidad Mayor is a private university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded in 1988. Foundation, Growth and Development (1988-2015) Universidad Mayor opened its first academic programs in 1988 with bachelor's degrees in Architecture and Engine ...

Used Book Fair''. Santiago, Chile. * 2000 - ''Chile One Hundred Years Visual Arts: First Period (1900 - 1950) Model and Representation''. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago. * 2000 - ''Chile One Hundred Years Visual Arts: Second Period (1950 - 1973) Between Modernity and Utopia''. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago.

Works in permanent exhibition

* ''Fonda de fiesta''. Oil on canvas, 80×100 cm. National Museum of Fine Arts. Santiago, Chile. * ''Girl from the South'' (1951). Woodcut, paper, 41×57 cm. Museum of Contemporary Art. University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. * ''Man before the micro and macrocosm''. Former Enrique Molina Garmendia High School, Concepción, Chile (destroyed in 1975). * ''Children and sunflowers''. Oil on canvas, 152×110 cm. '' Casa del Arte'' of the

, Chile. * '' History of medicine and pharmacy in Chile'' (1957-1958). Fresco mural. Maluje Pharmacy, Concepción, Chile. * ''De principio a fin''. Mural. Municipality of Chillán, Chile (destroyed in 1974). * ''History of Lota''. Mural. Mexico de Lota School, Lota, Chile. * National Insurance Institute Building, Costa Rica.

Awards

* 1956 - Municipal Art Award (Concepción, Chile)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Escámez, Julio 1925 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Chilean painters 20th-century Costa Rican painters People from Arauco Province