Eduardo Barnes
Encyclopedia
Eduardo Amancio Barnes was an Argentine sculptor, and one of his country's preeminent creators of sacred art
.
in 1901. The self-taught sculptor worked with clay
, marble
, and bronze
from early in his career, and by 1939, had created a number of relief
s as part of a series based on the Adoration of the Magi. Barnes would subsequently devote most of his work to religious themes common to Christianity
. Collaborating with painter Antonio Berni
during the latter's early career, Barnes exhibited his works in cities across the country. The catacombs underneath Rosario's Teatro El Círculo were then converted into the Eduardo Barnes Museum of Sacred Art in 1940.
He would earn a number of awards at the National Fine Arts Salons of Buenos Aires and Rosario, and in 1950, was invited to exhibit at the International Exhibition of Sacred Art in Rome
, as well as in the Madrid
Biennial of 1952. He created work for the Church of the Sacred Heart in La Plata
, for the Somisa steelworkers' community in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
, and in the Cathedral of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, among others.
Barnes, however, created much his work in his native Rosario. Some of the most notable included allegorical sculpture
s for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, bas-reliefs representing the blessing
of the Argentine flag and General Manuel Belgrano
for the National Flag Memorial
(1957), a series of 27 reliefs portraying the Via Crucis for the Church of Saint John the Evangelist (1966), and a monument to the founder of the Bank of Santa Fe
, Carlos Casado del Alisal
(his best known secular work), in 1970.
The noted sculptor taught in his discipline at numerous Rosario schools, serving as Professor of Drawing
at the San Martín National College No. 53, in the National Superior School of Commerce, the Bernardino Rivadavia National Girls' High School, as well as Professor of Design
at the University of the Littoral
School of Architecture. He purchased a vacation home in Tanti, Córdoba
, in which he would spend much of his later years, and adorned the entrance with a work titled La Vestal
(modeled after his wife). Barnes died in 1977, in Rosario.
Sacred art
Sacred art is imagery intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. Sacred art involves the ritual and cultic practices and practical and operative aspects of the path of the spiritual realization within the bosom of the tradition in question....
.
Life and work
Barnes was born in RosarioRosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
in 1901. The self-taught sculptor worked with clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, and bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
from early in his career, and by 1939, had created a number of relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s as part of a series based on the Adoration of the Magi. Barnes would subsequently devote most of his work to religious themes common to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Collaborating with painter Antonio Berni
Antonio Berni
Delesio Antonio Berni was a figurative artist, born in Rosario, province of Santa Fe, Argentina. He worked as a painter, an illustrator and an engraver. His father, Napoleón Berni, was an immigrant tailor from Italy...
during the latter's early career, Barnes exhibited his works in cities across the country. The catacombs underneath Rosario's Teatro El Círculo were then converted into the Eduardo Barnes Museum of Sacred Art in 1940.
He would earn a number of awards at the National Fine Arts Salons of Buenos Aires and Rosario, and in 1950, was invited to exhibit at the International Exhibition of Sacred Art in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, as well as in the Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
Biennial of 1952. He created work for the Church of the Sacred Heart in La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, for the Somisa steelworkers' community in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the western shore of the Paraná River, 61 km from Rosario. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido of the same name...
, and in the Cathedral of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, among others.
Allegorical sculpture
Allegorical sculpture refers to sculptures that symbolize and particularly personify abstract ideas as in allegory.Common in the western world, for example, are statues of 'Justice', a female figure traditionally holding scales in one hand, as a symbol of her weighing issues and arguments, and a...
s for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, bas-reliefs representing the blessing
Blessing (Roman Catholic Church)
Blessing in Roman Catholicism, in the narrow liturgical sense, is a rite consisting of a ceremony and prayers performed in the name and with the authority of the Church by a duly qualified minister by which persons or things are sanctified as dedicated to Divine service or by which certain marks of...
of the Argentine flag and General Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
for the National Flag Memorial
National Flag Memorial (Argentina)
The National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River...
(1957), a series of 27 reliefs portraying the Via Crucis for the Church of Saint John the Evangelist (1966), and a monument to the founder of the Bank of Santa Fe
New Bank of Santa Fe
The New Bank of Santa Fe is a bank in Santa Fe Province, Argentina.Originally named Provincial Bank of Santa Fe, it was established as a mixed state/private bank on 5 June 1874, based on an initiative of governor Servando Bayo, justified in the need to provide credit for the blossoming productive...
, Carlos Casado del Alisal
Carlos Casado del Alisal
Carlos Casado del Alisal was a Spanish Argentine businessman.-Life and times:Carlos Casado del Alisal was born in Villada, Palencia Province, Spain. He arrived in Santa Fe Province, Argentina in 1857, and in 1864, was named to the Board of Directors of the newly-established Central Argentine...
(his best known secular work), in 1970.
The noted sculptor taught in his discipline at numerous Rosario schools, serving as Professor of Drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
at the San Martín National College No. 53, in the National Superior School of Commerce, the Bernardino Rivadavia National Girls' High School, as well as Professor of Design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
at the University of the Littoral
National University of Rosario
The National University of Rosario is a research, educational and public university located in the city of Rosario, province of Santa Fe, Argentina.-Overview:...
School of Architecture. He purchased a vacation home in Tanti, Córdoba
Tanti, Córdoba
Tanti is a town in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, located on the west of the Punilla Valley, about 50 km from the provincial capital Córdoba. It has 4,579 inhabitants as per the...
, in which he would spend much of his later years, and adorned the entrance with a work titled La Vestal
Vestal Virgin
In ancient Roman religion, the Vestals or Vestal Virgins , were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The College of the Vestals and its well-being was regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of Rome, as embodied by their cultivation of the sacred fire that could not be...
(modeled after his wife). Barnes died in 1977, in Rosario.