By Stephanie Sonntag
Jose Riveros? neutral green cardigan and light gray hair starkly contrast the red, yellow and blue paint often brushed onto the artist?s textured paintings. The native of Victoria, Chile and 12-year resident of Australia, became a part-time faculty member two years ago in the visual arts and engineering departments at BYU.
What?s more, Riveros? paintings have circulated throughout the United States, Australia and Chile. His paintings are often bold color representations of geometric shapes.
?He borrows icons from South America and uses bright color,? said Todd Frye, director for the gallery of visual arts.
Though known for his abstract work, he has experimented with figurative art since moving to Utah with his wife and youngest son.
His son, also named Jose, followed the profession of his father and is an artist. He said his father?s art has transitioned through the years but the period he liked best is his abstract painting during the early ?90s.
?When he is painting an apple, he isn?t painting like your grandmother?s apple,? his son said. ?It is strong abstract art. He can?t help it, that?s how he paints.?
But in Utah, Riveros found that his abstract pieces weren?t as palatable to the community as figurative art, which is art that is more true to life visual representations of objects.
?Utah is classical in art,? Riveros said. ?Abstract is generally not for Utah. In New Mexico the art is typical Southwest art. Miami has tropical art.?
During 2001, the Brimhall Building hosted an art exhibit featuring Riveros? work. The visitors to the exhibit wanted Riveros to explain his paintings, instead of enjoy the paintings at their face value.
?A stroke of paint is like a musical note,? Riveros said.
He continued with the metaphor using the example of the cha-cha versus the symphony. Whether paint or music, the style in which it is created can form entirely opposite works of art.
Riveros studied at the Universidad de Chile and received his bachelor?s in humanities followed by a degree in interior design.
Riveros? said his instructors in Chile during high school and college looked to European for inspiration instead of for art from their own lives. European art at that time stressed the supremacy of abstract art. Looking back he feels that now his art is more truthful because he is painting how and what he wants.
His son agrees with his father.
?He is very honest,? he said. ?He?s not trying to impress or lie to people.?
Though he is generally known as a painter, it hasn?t financially supported Riveros throughout his life. In Chile and Australia he worked as an interior designer and on private projects as well as well-known structures such as the Sydney Opera House and the Parliament building.
Teaching has become Riveros? most recent passion. Here at BYU he teaches Intro to Drawing, Perceptive Drawing and Visual Design.
?I would drop everything to teach them [my students],? Riveros said. ?They give me youth.?
It seems he applies the same zeal he has for teaching to painting.
?You can see the passion in his painting,? his son said. ?It?s kind of the Latin stereotype.?
