Using culture as inspiration for artistry

Artistic expression is a giant part of Hispanic culture. Art is a form of communication, telling a story about the artists’ experiences. Whether it’s being used to illustrate hardships or just to share what’s going on in their minds, these Hispanic artists use the medium to represent themselves and how they see the world. Each one takes a different approach when it comes to demonstrating their distinctive style. Some are more abstract and use colors liberally, while others ensure the illustrations are as realistic as possible.

Fernando Llort

Fernando Llort Choussy is often attributed to creating El Salvador’s art style. He traveled and studied art all around the world and returned to El Salvador with a purpose. He used his art to paint in a town called La Palma, inspiring the town to cover its walls all over with vibrant murals, using Llort’s Mayan-inspired style. During El Salvador’s civil war, he had to leave La Palma, but his art was continuously displayed in San Salvador. Even though he died in 2018, his art has left too large of an impact on El Salvador for him to be forgotten. His art can be seen in museums around the world.

Belén Jaramillo

Belén Jaramillo, also known as Bln Bike, graduated in her home country, Ecuador, with a degree in graphic design. She is a more contemporary artist but has grown in popularity quite quickly. She’s primarily known for her work in the street art scene, creating massive murals brimming with detail. She has murals plastered on walls in different places around Ecuador. Her work is quite versatile as well and can be seen in things from magazines to video games. Her art pieces are displayed in multiple countries including Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. She also uploads sketches and works in progress art to Instagram, @blnbike.

Carmen Lomas Garza

Carmen Lomas Garza is an artist inspired by her surroundings. She is a Mexican-American that uses her life and the life of others as a reference for her paintings. One painting could be a Mexican family making tamales together in the kitchen, then another is a fight outside of a club. Her objective is to represent Hispanic culture as accurately as possible, hoping to garner appreciation for it. Another thing she likes to do with her art is educating outsiders who may not have much experience with the culture. She began illustrating at 13 and was heavily inspired by the Chicano Movement in the ‘60s.

Julio Aguilera

Julio Aguilera was raised in a poor neighborhood in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Aguilera is multi-talented since he’s an accomplished artist and has a black belt in Choy Lay Fut Kung-Fu. For a while, he competed in martial arts tournaments in various countries like China and the Philippines. After spending some time traveling the world, he retired and moved to New York. Once he moved to the U.S., he fully committed to becoming an artist. The beginning of his art career was lukewarm since one of his first exhibitions in California wasn’t received well, but he didn’t quit. Afterward, his shows began selling out in Spain, Argentina and Venezuela.