German critic Wieland Schmied establishes that Jacobo Borges has incorporated certain influences from the European tradition into his work through a difficult process. From his perspective as a historian, Schmied explains that the Venezuelan painter had at first rejected this type of influence, and instead pursued an existential search for his own identity through world experience, artistic practice, and his Latin American identity. Later, Borges assimilated aspects of the European tradition that nurtured his own language, but he used it in a critical manner; one may perceive in his work a certain resistance to that tradition, and (as an example of this) he analyzes the work Nymphenburg (1974). He concludes that Borges represents “a critical, exemplary, and considered realism” that was seldom seen in Europe.

This essay by German curator, historian, and critic Wieland Schmied (b. 1929) on Jacobo Borges (b. 1931), establishes the pictorial sources from the European tradition that inspired the work of the Venezuelan painter, although Schmied states this should not be seen as eclecticism on the part of Borges, but instead the considered and critical decantation of these sources. Schmied does not discuss the manner in which one perceives the influences of the great European masters in his work, although he does list them: Velázquez, Goya, Rembrandt, and Rubens, among others. In his judgment, Borges “examines, appreciates, and rejects,” as he developed his own language and mastered the different canons. These influences on Borges’s work are generally accepted by critics; the novelty of Schmied’s argument is that he perceives in Borges a certain “resistance” to this appropriation. He highlights Borges’s act of rebellion by adopting these artistic conventions in order to assume a critical stance against the society that accepts them. From what may be deduced from Schmied’s analysis, Borges uses these resources in a paradoxical manner.

This text was published on two occasions: in El Nacional newspaper, Caracas, December 10, 1987, and in the catalogue Jacobo Borges. Pittura, [Jacobo Borges. Painting], Venice Biennale (1988).

[For more, see the ICAA digital archive: the text in English by Donald Kuspit, “Jacobo Borges's creation of potential space” (doc. no. 1060608); by Perán Erminy, “Una exposición de obras de Jacobo Borges” [An Exhibition of Work by Jacobo Borges] (doc. no. 1060424); the press review by Elizabeth Pérez Luna, “Jacobo Borges: La pasión de la identidad” [Jacobo Borges: The Passion of Identity] (doc. no. 1063714); by Inocente Palacios, “Jacobo Borges” (doc. no. 1060361); by historian Berta Terracena, “Jacobo Borges en México” [Jacobo Borges in Mexico] (doc. no. 1063795); by Roberto Guevara, “(sin título) [Un día el poeta sentó la belleza en sus rodillas… ]” [(untitled) One Day the Poet Laid Beauty on His Knees…](doc. no. 1060477); the interview by Lanelina Delgado, (doc. no. 1063831); by José Colin, “Entre la acción colectiva y la búsqueda individual: Jacobo Borges” [Between Collective Action and Individual Search: Jacobo Borges] (doc. no. 1063769); and by Armando J. Florez and Aliana González, “El artista debe superar las limitaciones de las ideologías : Jacobo Borges en Nueva York” [The Artist Should Surpass the Limitations of Ideologies] (doc. no. 1065435)].