Joaquín Torres-García (Uruguayan, 1874-1949) Abstract Art in Five Tones and Complementaries, 1943 Oil on board mounted on panel, 20 1/2 x 26 5/8" Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani, 1979

Joaquín Torres-García was born in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1874. Uruguay is a country in South America. In his travels to Europe, he met many famous artists and tried painting in many different styles. After years of studying and experimenting, he was ready to come up with his own ideas about what art should be. He knew he was interested in the art and culture of Latin America, where he was born, and felt that art should be permanent, and never change in style. This way, he felt, art would be more meaningful, both to the people who made it and to the people who saw it. To him, art was so important that it should be a daily experience. In addition to painting pictures, he made furniture, dishes, and childrenÌs toysÛthings that are used and seen everyday, making peopleÌs lives happier and fuller. He opened his own school in Uruguay in 1934 to teach other artists about his ideas.

Mr. Torres-García invented his own language of symbols to use in his art, and you see them over and over again in his paintings. Can you find the saw? The clay pot? The hourglass? Each of them has special meanings. The saw symbolizes the ability that humans have to make things. The pot shows the artistÌs pride in Latin American culture. The hourglass represents the power of the human mind, or intelligence. The words in this painting also tell part of the story: he was born in MONTEVIDEO, he created ARTE ABSTRACTE (abstract art), and lived most of his life in SIGLO XX (the twentieth century), which is going to end in the year 2001!