During the last decades, the languages of abstraction in Latin America, particularly the geometric and constructivist, have experienced a renewed interest that has led to the discovery of new voices that have demonstrated the vigor and richness of Latin American geometric abstraction. One of these voices, and perhaps one of the most profound for expressing a matured reflection through decades of work, is that of Colombian artist Jorge Riveros: in the work of this master, we find one of the richest and most solid examples of the possibilities of geometric abstraction.
Since its emergence in Colombia in the 1950s, geometric abstraction has become a widely practiced language by artists of different generations. Rivero's place within this context is interesting: although he could be placed in the second-generation of abstractionists of the 70s, it has been just in recent years that the artist has consolidated a safe and mature practice in this language. Rivero's initial approach to geometric abstraction occurred, as for many of his contemporaries, outside Colombia in the 1960s and 1970s: it was during his stay in Germany between 1965 and 1975 that Riveros became acquainted and appropriated the languages of constructivism. However, most of the works made in Germany were sketches that have only recently been executed in various media and formats. In this way, the scope of Riveros abstract geometric universe is not limited to a specific moment in history but has been unfolding and building up to the present.
orge Riveros. Constructive forms. Origins and Progression is a unique opportunity to get closer to the formal universe of master Riveros and his peculiar way of working. Here we find a world of rigorously calculated geometric shapes, perfectly meshed through polished and pristine shapes in stark black and white with some hints of pure color. Against this apparent coldness, master Riveros contrasts the warm material of wood in the reliefs, columns, woodcuts, and oil paintings on wood present in the show. This juxtaposition between the coldness of the geometry and the warmth of the wood connects the master with a long tradition of artists and artisans who, since pre-hispanic times to the present, have found a harmonious relationship between them. at the same time, his wooden constructions reveal a confident and mature artist whose works offer a fresh and leisurely look at the languages of constructivism. Undoubtedly, Riveros' work is a fundamental historical reference to understand the development of geometric abstraction in Colombia and Latin America.
