PERUVIAN
PERSPECTIVES
Watercolors of the Andes by ARMANDO FREYRE
from the collection of Leena and Der Scutt
September
22, 2001 - January 6, 2002
On
September 22, 2001 the Reading Public Museum
will debut the exhibit PERUVIAN PERSPECTIVES:
watercolors of the Andes by ARMANDO FREYRE
from the collection of Leena and Der Scutt,
Architect of the Reading Public Museum.
Prints and original work are available for
purchase.
This
poignant collection of 80 watercolors and
selected prints demonstrate Freyre's view
of the third world country of Peru and its
Andes Mountains by epitomizing its people,
architecture and landscapes.
Armando
Freyre is a self-taught artist who has studiously
mastered the medium of watercolor, which
is evident in his fluid brushwork and his
ability to capture the light and atmosphere
of his subjects. His topics range from detailing
daily life tasks of the Andes Mountain inhabitants
and their animals, to capturing the exquisite
Spanish colonial architecture of the region.
Probably most fascinating about this artist
is that he creates everything en plein air
on trips he takes into the Andes from his
hometown of Lima. He takes trains and buses
to the mountains and hikes with a backpack
with his paper rolled and carried in tubes,
and uses mountain rivers and streams as
his source of water. Freyre sleeps in spare
rooms in village houses, accepting the hospitality
of the people he records in his paintings.
"I don't like to stay in one place",
says Freyre. The life of the wandering artist
has been his path through life and he wouldn't
have it any other way.
For
the past several years, Freyre has exhibited
his paintings literally on the streets and
at various arts festivals throughout the
United States. He does all his paintings
in Peru, where he usually returns twice
a year. His incongruous style of combining
realism and impressionism have caught the
eye of many collectors who own his work,
but none more than architect Der Scutt who
helped facilitate this impressive premier
museum exhibit for Freyre with many paintings
from his personal collection. In the end,
Freyre's mission is to bring people together,
but admittedly he feels his efforts are
small "like a little grain of sand."
In Freyre's own words, "When the American
people understand more the Central American
and South American people, the American
government will make a right relationship
with our countries."
Robert
Metzger, Ph.D
Director, CEO, Chief Curator Reading
Public Museum |
