Omar Rayo

My Favorite Artist Colombian engraver, sculptor and painter. 20 January 1928   -    7 June 2010

Omar Rayo has been one of the most active and important Colombian artists during the last 60 year.

Omar Rayo was born in Roldanillo Valle, Colombia. He began working as an artist in 1945, then as an illustrator for magazines and newspapers in Bogotá but later as many Colombian artists do, he spent much of his professional life outside the country; he lived for many years in Mexico and New York.

Omar Rayo shows in his prints and paintings, geometric and art that belongs both to the ancient past. Using Indian ancestry forms, Omar Rayo discovered new ways to execute geometric visual art like old cultures in America.

Rayo's work is dedicated to the geometric figure without being abstract. His original style is with clear images and painted concrete objects. Is a geometric-optical artist who loves squares, rectangles and zigzag lines expressed in white, black and red.

In my personal opinion; Omar Rayo demonstrates that geometric art is not necessarily cold and rational; it belongs to any time, past and future. Omar Rayo uses lines and form of indigenous ancestors to discover new ways for representing visual and geometric patterns. You could find in his art, very voluptuous shapes, happiness playful and sensuality.

 

One of the principal reasons to choose this artist is because I was born in Roldanillo too and I have always admired his work.

His hard work and inspiration were so big that he was able to influence the construction of the Rayo’s museum, with his personal effort, Colombian government and other supporters, The museum was founded in his hometown Roldanillo in 1981 to establish a site for exposing his works. The museum was designed by the Mexican architect Leopoldo Goout and opened with a collection of 2,000 Rayo's artwork and some 500 other Latin American artists' works. The museum contains a library, many exposition modules, a graphic arts workshop and a theater.