The book Cuadernos de pintura (1982), by the visual artist Manuel Quintana Castillo (1928–2016), is a collection of essays on art theory and other aspects of art. In his book, the writer analyzes, criticizes and interprets aesthetic, conceptual, technical, formal and historical aspects of art. The essay includes a discussion on the history of cultures and the development of certain art movements and major figures in modern art history both in the Americas and in Europe. Here, we have a small sample of the intellectual contributions made by this artist, along with the art he created, starting in 1955. As such, it reflects some of the creative interests he was involved in defending at the time. The text “Expresionismo y abstracción” articulates some criticisms of New Figuration just when its aesthetics were so popular in Venezuela. Moreover, when the writer compares the aesthetic values represented by the two trends, Abstract art and Expressionism, he ends up analyzing a certain period in Venezuelan contemporary art. When the essay was written, in 1965, both New Figuration and Abstract Expressionism were alternatives that were gaining ground over “Abstract aesthetics,” which was considered the “official” art language at the time. As a matter of fact, these two trends seized the attention of the critics and the viewing public in Venezuela during the 1960s and 1970s. In turn, Quintana Castillo formulated his criticisms of both trends between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, regardless of the fact that until 1963, his own work was considered related to Abstract Expressionism.
[In addition, in the ICAA digital archive, see two other texts from chapter III of the book Cuadernos de pintura: “Reflexiones sobre el constructivismo” (doc. no. 1156254) and “América y arte” (doc. no. 1156234)].