Translations:Sofía Urrutia Holguín/7/en

Art criticism at the beginning of the 1950s emphasized “the peace, clarity, and naive and crystal-clear beauty” of Sofía Urrutia’s paintings, characterizing them as elements taken from a “wondrous toy shop”, thus drawing the subtle line between childlike representation — to which primitivist art was compared — and the resolute, purposeful decision by the artist to portray reality through a non-professional technique. The writings of the critics included her in the avant-garde trends of the mid-20th century, pointing to her success in applying “colorful patches and striking touches of white” in paintings such as Beach on the Cauca River (Playa en el río Cauca). Urrutia’s scenes depict public spaces in cities such as Cartagena, Bogotá and Popayán. Other paintings are transformed into ethnographic portraits of indigenous and mestizo communities, such as Beach on the Cauca River, Cuna Indians (Indios Cuna) and Little Holy Week (Semana Santa Chiquita). Flowers are the central theme of her still lifes, which feature hydrangeas, roses and delphiniums. Her paintings devoted to religious themes portray figures such as St. Francis of Assisi, scenes from the Old Testament like Eden and The Tower of Babel, and stories such as The Creation of the World, Noah’s Ark, The Destruction of Sodom, Joseph Sold by his Brothers and Moses Saved from the Waters. The Bible and the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez were essential references in the construction of her imagery.