Carlos Monsalve

Carlos Monsalve is a Colombian born artist based in Quito, Ecuador. Monsalve is recognized as one of the leading artists from his generation and one of the most influential printmakers in South America. His work is characterized by the incredible attention given to technique, detail, and craftsmanship.  Weaving together narratives from traditions such as surrealism and magic-realism Monsalve conjures images that speak to diverse worlds, which are interconnected through the lens of magical thinking.

Gathering memories from his childhood in the jungles of Colombia, Carlos Monsalve´s work emerges as a mystical voice in the contemporary world. He explores the infinite possibilities of drawing to tell stories from another time. By using classic printmaking techniques such as etching, lithography and silkscreen Monsalve evokes a feeling in his prints that point to different periods of art history. The precision of the etching technique reminds us of old masters such as Albert Durer, Rembrandt or Goya. The subjectivity of the line work allows us to see his mastery at drawing and we can tell the mindful observation of old masters’ work. 

The color spectrum in Monsalve´s work ranges from day to night in a single image. He mocks the conventional understanding of linear time and presents compositions structured in segments with divergent luminosity. This refraction of light reads as if the image had been assembled with a camera by using multiple exposures on a single frame. The difference is that the camera and the film are replaced by the artist's mind, hand and sensibility.