Victor Varela

VÍCTOR VARELA (Venezuela, 1927-2013)
Untitled, circa 1972.
Polychrome iron.
Measurements: 86 x 50 x 60 cm.
This sculpture by Victor Varela shows a vertical structure in black metal with red details that provide a strong visual contrast. The work is composed of combined geometric and organic forms: the rectangular frame frames different open sections, and inside there are curves and undulating figures, as well as tubes and small pieces at right angles that are distributed along the structure.
One of the most striking features is the use of circular and undulating figures in red, which seem to flow through the structure, generating a dynamic effect that evokes movement. These elements are interspersed with other more rigid and linear elements, such as the vertical bars that create an almost musical or rhythmic pattern. The red shapes seem to want to break the rigidity of the black frame, projecting outward and at the same time interacting with the void, suggesting a tension between the contained and the expansive.
The sculpture plays with hallmarks, not only of color but also of form, conveying a sense of balance between the solid and the empty, the straight and the curved. Varela's work in this piece seems to explore the boundaries between the structural and the organic, creating a visual dialogue between the dark metal and the vibrant red forms that flow through it.

Victor Varela began his artistic education at the Escuela de Artes Plasticas in Maracaibo, but in 1945 he moved to Caracas to study at the city's Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Aplicadas. In 1952 he moved to Paris to continue his artistic training with artists such as Jean Dewasne, Fernand Leger and Victor Vasarely. Later he returned to Caracas where he developed his artistic career. Throughout his career he exhibited his work internationally in countries such as Colombia, Brazil, United States, Italy (Venice Biennial), Spain, Belgium and China. In 1958 he received the National Prize of Sculpture, in 2002 the Doctorate Honoris Causa of the Catholic University Cecilio Acosta (Maracaibo) and in 2009 the one of the Central University of Venezuela.