Jose Maria Sellanes

Biography

José Maria Sellanes was born in San Jose, Uruguay in 1974.  He grew up in the simple life of the countryside and this has helped to form his sense of the aesthetic. 

Beginning to draw at age 10, his first drawings were on paper discarded by others.  Early in his adolescence his family moved to the city and there he began his exploration of Art, through books and local artists. 

The internationally acclaimed Uruguayan artist Nelson Romero had a profound influence on the young artist who was fortunate enough to be able to draw directly on this masters knowledge as he continued his studies and continued experimentation.  The idea “image-concept” is the thread that runs throughout all of the artists works.

At 25 José Maria travelled to Chile and there he studied the culture and indigenous art of the Mapuche culture, art based on the veneration of ancestors and the cult of the power of nature.  When he returned to Uruguay he studied the symbolism of the Jewish faith, which gave him a greater perspective on diversity and global culture. 

At 30 the artist moved to Peru where he lived in solitude for 4 years, spending most of his time developing his own style.  There he also studied the art of the Incas, and the pre-Incan Sican culture.

The search for new concepts and realities has led the artist to many points within the world of art, from the Baroque to Postmodernism,.  The near-obsessive search for more complex designs which synthesized an idea, diffuse or abstract, has led to many hours of experimentation with paper and pencil.

Living in Ireland for the past year the artist has concentrated on the creation of a collection that unifies all of his experiences and knowledge, exploring diverse techniques, while never departing from the act of creation that is drawing.

© Jose Maria Sellanes 2009

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