Omar Rayo
Encyclopedia
Omar Rayo was a Colombian
painter
, sculptor, caricaturist
and plastic artist
. He won the 1970 Salón de Artistas Colombianos. Rayo worked with abstract geometry primarily employing black, white and red. He was part of the Op Art
movement. Rayo's work shows that geometric art is as much a part of the past as it is of the future. He used traces of the past to discover new ways to present visual and geometric sketches.
One of his most celebrated exhibitions was carried out in the National Room of the Museum of the Palace of fine arts of Mexico, titled "20 years, 100 works: Omar Rayo."
, Valle del Cauca with funds the artist himself provided, along with help from Colombian government agencies and others so that on this site would remain a permanent exhibit of his works of art. The museum was designed by Mexican
architect
Leopoldo Gout
and opened with a collection of 2,000 of Rayo's artwork and some 500 other Latin American art
ists' works. The museum contains a library, many modules for expositions, a graphic arts workshop and a theater.
, Colombia
, after having suffered a heart attack.
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculptor, caricaturist
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
and plastic artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. He won the 1970 Salón de Artistas Colombianos. Rayo worked with abstract geometry primarily employing black, white and red. He was part of the Op Art
Op art
Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions."Optical art is a method of painting concerning the interaction between illusion and picture plane, between understanding and seeing." Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made...
movement. Rayo's work shows that geometric art is as much a part of the past as it is of the future. He used traces of the past to discover new ways to present visual and geometric sketches.
One of his most celebrated exhibitions was carried out in the National Room of the Museum of the Palace of fine arts of Mexico, titled "20 years, 100 works: Omar Rayo."
Museum
The Museo Rayo de Dibujo y Grabado Latinoamericano was founded on January 20, 1981 by Rayo in his hometown of RoldanilloRoldanillo
Roldanillo is a town and municipality located in the Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia.TurismMuseo Rayo Museum rayo...
, Valle del Cauca with funds the artist himself provided, along with help from Colombian government agencies and others so that on this site would remain a permanent exhibit of his works of art. The museum was designed by Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Leopoldo Gout
Leopoldo Gout
Leopoldo Gout is a film producer, film director, graphic novelist, writer, and composer. He is the author of the novel Ghost Radio and is executive producer of the animated film Little Spirit: Christmas in New York, with NBC and Curious Pictures....
and opened with a collection of 2,000 of Rayo's artwork and some 500 other Latin American art
Latin American art
Latin American art is the combined artistic expressions of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, as well as Latin American living in other regions....
ists' works. The museum contains a library, many modules for expositions, a graphic arts workshop and a theater.
Death
In the early hours of June 7, 2010, Rayo collapsed while having breakfast at his Roldanillo residence. He died on the way to a hospital in CaliCalì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, after having suffered a heart attack.