Intuition, knowledge, and discipline are the principles with which Toribio Quintero has carved himself as an artist. His innate inclination to find the essence in his surroundings has been sowed in him since his childhood, to be curious and scrutinize the secrets of nature in order to understand. That willingness to observe and look beyond what we see has influenced his way of connecting to the world. That urge to explore and promote his knowledge motivated him to visit different parts of Venezuela, enjoy its landscapes, people, indigenous cultures and its legacy.
In order to methodize his work, he studied art at the Universidad de los Andes, in Mérida, Venezuela. Shortly after, he traveled to Europe where he was exposed to masterpieces of the Renaissance and modern art. This experience made him reflect on why he dedicates himself to art and clarified what his contribution would be

Legendary is an expressive series in which antimatter and lightness takes over the pictorial surface. Form disappears completely into the void, the narrative becomes absent, and the ethereal becomes a channel to translate into infinity. Although there are no references that can identify the ungraspable appearance of the universe and nature, these metaphorical images are reflected through the thickness of the pigment and gesture of the brushstrokes. Usually each of these pieces present limited color combinations with wide tonal variations. The fabric that weave the brush strokes and fillings show the visual richness in which only the essence of what is perceived remains.

Quintero sets out a platonic vision of art, which does not seek to compete with the truth it is trying to contain. From the moment that reality is perceived by the eye, apprehended by thought, then executed on the canvas, it goes through a process of deforming, the result of which may never resemble the original. That same distancing occurs with the painting. What is truly authentic in art are the sensory and cognitive connections that awake. The artist comments, “one becomes more subtle and conscious in the desire to contribute in highlighting a higher condition of reality”. This commitment is how Toribio approaches the spiritual of the human essence.

Anny Bello