Ramon Calderon

RAMÓN CALDERÓN LÓPEZ DE ARRÓYABE (Santander Cantabria, 1932 - 2004).
"Landscape with bridge".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 86 x 58 cm; 88 x 60 x 3 cm (frame).

Painter and sculptor. He is born in the bosom of a family that participates in the cultural environment of Santander, in a moment of great artistic and cultural activity. He made his first works in the studio of his brother Fernando, painter and muralist, establishing contact with artists like Cossío, Raba or Medina, and promoters of the cultural and artistic activity of the moment, like Arce or Hierro, and the collaborators of the magazine Proel, participating from the first moment of the incipient post-war plastic modernity developed in the region. A versatile man and a great traveler, he left for Italy in 1951. There he made drawings for illustrations and restored antiques. On his return to Spain, he studied music and organized a traditional jazz group with his brother, the musician Juan Carlos. In any case, he does not give up painting, as around this time he decorates the residence of the Menéndez Pelayo International University, located in the Magdalene Palace in Santander. In 1952 he illustrated with a vignette the Elegy of Miguel de Argumosa. In 1953 he takes part in two collective exhibitions held in homage to Casimiro Sainz, in Santander, Galería Sur, and Reinosa, entitled I Salón de la joven pintura montañesa and Exposición Provincial de Pinturas. That same year he went to Paris and London and collaborated in the illustration of magazines such as London Mistery Magazine. On his return to Spain he created the emblem of the Santander International Festival. Between 1950 and 1960 he makes a series of works rich in color and matter, in a line of research and essay that will derive towards a naive and romantic concept. In 1965 he exhibited his work individually at the Galería Sur, a forum in which he repeated from year to year uninterruptedly until 1971. From 1970 onwards he opted for a painting of pure line and space. In 1984 he exhibited with his brothers Fernando and Juan Carlos at the Museum of Fine Arts in Santander. A new break occurs in his work, using collage as a means of expression. In 1986 he exhibits at the Diart Gallery in Madrid. In the last few years he has shown his strong support and commitment to the young generation of artists through the organization of exhibitions at the Palacio de Festivales in Santander. Two exhibitions in his last years are also important: in the Sala Luz Norte in Santander and in Caja Cantabria.