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Colombian by birth, Dairo Vargas is a contemporary fine artist who draws influence from the Renaissance and Baroque periods to forge a connection with our behaviour in modern society. His abstract work directly references the old masters while simultaneously conveying differing psychological states.
Vargas is interested in the representation of external responses from internal experience and vice versa. Each image gives access to subconscious memories and emo- tions. The paintings appear to be either in stillness or movement and the fluid brush strokes invite the viewer to reflect on personal memory and encourage introspection.
The work aims to capture the thinking process. Vargas uses gestural free association to represent the mind at the point it connects to a higher energy, releasing unlimited thoughts and emotions.
Born: 1978 in Colombia
Lives and Works: London, United Kingdom
Colombian artist Dairo Vargas specialises in painting landscapes and portraits in a vivid and energetic Abstract Expressionist style. With a passion for the natural world and the vulnerability of the human condition, Dairo uses his art to create a spiritual journey for both himself and the viewer. Themes of love, life and death fill his canvases and probe at a deeper interpretation of his paintings. By abstracting the real and distorting the expected, Dairo’s gestural mark-making forms powerful pieces of art, bursting with emotion.
Dairo Vargas’ Education and Career
Born in 1978 in Colombia, Dairo had his first painting commission at the age of 16, giving him the confidence to pursue an artistic career. Training in Graphic Design, Dairo worked in the advertising industry for many years before chasing his dreams of becoming an artist. Dairo is now based in London, and since graduating from Chelsea College of Art in 2008.
Vargas’ work has been shown in London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong and features in multiple private collections.
Inspiration
Dairo draws influence from the Renaissance and Baroque periods and combines the characteristics of traditional painting with a modern, expressive approach. Some of his works directly reference the old masters, either through his choice of colour, subject or composition. Much of Dairo’s inspiration comes from memories of going to church as a child, with the art of stained-glass windows, paintings of saints and religious sculptures immersing him and still informing his art to this day.
EDUCATION
2013
2008
2004
