Armando Reverón (1889-1954)

Private Collection, Miami (acquired from the artist)

Ever since he moved to the isolated stretch of the central Venezuelan coast in the early 1920´s, Reverón would be intrigued by the vast rocky beach that stretched for miles near his castillete or "little castle" in Macuto.  These landscapes took different shapes over the years: from predominantly bluish and whimsical compositions in the 1920´s, to whitewashed, blinding landscapes in the early 1930´s. The art historian Alfredo Boulton, the artist's principal biographer, grouped Reverón's works from the late thirties and forties under the label Sepia as they are of an earthier palette.

Paisaje con Uveros, 1945, is one of the largest and finest landscapes made by the artist in this Sepia period. It was executed at the moment when the first lights of dawn broke over Caraballeda point. The use of burlap as a support determines the overall earthy character of the painting. He defines the dark mass of the mountain by painting whites around it, he suggests water and sky with pale blue dots and short lines in oddly selected spots.  The two tree trunks have been delineated across the composition with sensual care while the heavy grape tree leaves have been added with a hand-made organic "brush" in punctual and rapid movements.

In this work, Reverón abandons the color modulation of the broad daylight paintings of the previous years in favor of shadowy accents over the dry support that work to recreate the ethereal qualities observed between the latest moments of night and the break of day.