El Nuevo Diario: The Brushtrokes that Lead to the Lost City

El Nuevo Diario November 30th 2018

FAME

Maria Fernanda Vogel. The young painter, graduated in Italy and currently develops a collection, which she wishes is relatable to Nicaraguans.

The Brushstrokes that Lead to the Lost City by Leztira Sevilla Bolanos

At age 15, in 2011, Maria Fernanda revealed herself as a national promise of Nicaraguan Fine Arts when she presented Favelas at Galeria Codice. The years have not passed in vain and she returns to her country as a mature artist and enriched with technique from her Fine Arts studies in Washington D.C. and Italy. “In Italy, I participated in two exhibitions that were truly very academic. It was something I did not really want to continue once I returned to Nicaragua. It was all very technical and based on academic studies, but it is what prepared me to become a better artist”, she affirms. Furthermore, she says her dream was returning to her home country and when she did so, she faced the difficult dilemma of what she was to do with everything she had learned. “My training has been very complete in renaissance technique and coveredup to the most relevant contemporary art movements, and when returned home, I began to explore and The Lost City, my most recent collection, was born”. The artist explains, she was after something that not only satisfied her as an artist but that also was attractive to Nicaraguans. This is why and how she created a magical world, a place that does not exist but that is also an interior world, for anyone that can admire the collection.

The Work

About The Lost City, she mentions that it is a very organized collection, in which there is a narrative and a sequence. She attributes this element to her studies in Italy. “In the narrative there are the ports, lakes, volcanoes, cities, the cathedral, and it even goes through a certain 19th that is important to us all. I am finishing this collection and I think I am achieving my goal of giving the gift of artistic sensitivity and I think that I am also reaching the goal of elevating the standard of Nicaraguan art and my dream is to someday become just like the masters of my country.” She studied the last two years of her career in Florence, and she assures that it was a challenge on both a professional and an academic level but also, that she had to reach the highest European standards to graduate. This however, is what she considers to be one of the pillars to create Latin American Art of great quality. It is difficult to define her style, although she recognizes that she revisits certain important contemporary movements such as surrealism to create unique art.” I have grown so much as an artist, studying art as a career has not only given me knowledge, it has also given me discipline and confidence as an artist that believes in her work.

Now more than ever, I know where I am going. I have more tools and technique to take my art to another level.” She affirms. About The Lost City, she affirms consists of more than twenty paintings and that she is ready to close this chapter. She also defines it as very solid and complete, a collection which she wishes to present in the United States. Maria Fernanda considers having started her career at such an early age as an opportunity because she has more time to reach the levels to which she aspires. Amongst her biggest goals is to raise Nicaragua to the best international standards, and exhibit the quality of the talent it has to offer