Fernando Wamprechts

FERNANDO WAMPRECHTS (Venezuela, 1959).
"Fried fish and bats", 1992.
Oil on canvas.
Presents informative label on the back of the author.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 116 x 135 cm; 120 x 140 cm (frame).
Visual artist and ceramist. He began his training at the age of six at the School of Fine Arts of Caracas, under the guidance of Carmen Domínguez in 1964. Between 1972 and 1975 he studied at the Hochschule in Salzburg, Austria, and then continued at the Hoch University in that city until 1979. Later he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to study art at Oglethorpe University (1980-1983). In 1981 he had his first individual exhibition entitled "Selvas de San Esteban" at the Centro de Arte El Parque in Valencia, Carabobo State. In this stage, his technique uses pointillism to represent the vegetation, complemented with long brushstrokes to give contrast. Since his beginnings, his works have mainly explored the landscape and the human figure. He uses materials such as papier-mâché, both smooth and rough, as well as canvas, jute and thick kraft paper, which he treats for conservation.
He has participated in several group shows, including several editions of the Salón Arturo Michelena (1982-1991), the VII and IX Salón Aragua (Maracay, 1982 and 1984) and the Salón Nacional de Jóvenes Artistas at the Casa Guipuzcoana (1983). In 1989 he presented a series of large format works at the Astrid Paredes Gallery in Caracas, exploring mixed techniques such as acrylic, oil on paper, metal engraving and collage, with a focus on figurative and gestural themes. According to Guédez (1989), Wamprechts' work is defined as "neo-expressionist, recontextualizing the instinctive with an impetuous temperament, seeking a dimension that unites the visible and the invisible".
In 1990 he was part of "Los 80. Panorama de las artes visuales en Venezuela" at the GAN, and that same year he presented "Recent Work" at the Sala Mendoza, with a series of portraits, landscapes and everyday objects in the form of sketches. He traveled to cities such as Venice, Milan and Paris between 1990 and 1994. In 1991 he won first prize at the II Christian Dior Biennial in Caracas with his work Pasillo. He participated in the I Pirelli Salon in 1993 and, in 1994, he presented a solo show at the D'Museo Gallery in Caracas, where his drawings, made with pastels and crayons, left wide white spaces in the supports, achieving a scenographic effect in his work. His compositions are often perceived as unfinished, with white backgrounds and sketched faces.
In 1997 he exhibited "Paisajes fantásticos de Caracas" at Galería D'Museo, a series inspired by nature. The following year, at the Sala Mendoza Bookstore, he presented "Objects of the Titanic", a series of 60 ceramic pieces that recreated objects from the famous shipwreck. In 1999, the D'Museo Gallery organized a retrospective of his work, including pieces exhibited at the Florence Biennale. As indicated by Palenzuela (1999), Wamprechts "retakes recurring icons in his work, rethinking themes without falling into stylistic repetition, and thus achieving a painting whose central axis is scenography". The artist currently resides in Europe.