Orlando Vallejo Caraballo
San Juan, P.R., 1955
Biography Details
Painter and printmaker. He completed studies in civil engineering in 1972 at the University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus, and went on to study at the School of Visual Arts of San Juan, where he became friends with Dennis Mario Rivera y Jorge Zeno, and studied drawing and printmaking with Fran Cervoni and José Alicea. In 1976, he travelled to Spain to further his studies and, upon his return in 1977, he founded the Ausubo Gallery in Caguas. At the beginning of the eighties, he studied painting in the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Puerto Rico. Since 1987 he has organized several solo exhibitions and has taken part in some group shows, including a meeting of painters of the world in Cuzco, Peru in 2002. He has won several awards, and in 2007 the Municipality of Caguas declared him Adopted Son of the city. He served as resident artist of the Altos de Chavón Foundation in the Dominican Republic (1997) and in the Center for Humanistic Studies Dra. Josefina Camacho de la Nuez at the University of Turabo in Gurabo, Puerto Rico (2013‑2015). The elements that characterize his artwork are landscape, the human figure, social criticism, Expressionism, and, mainly, color. He has said that he is self-taught in painting.
Artist Statement
"The key behind the work of the artist and its driving force is the intensity. This artist, his canvases, reach us immediately, beyond the specific nature of their images, by the intensity which is consubstantial to the structure of his drawing, composition, and color. Vallejo reconciles all these elements with as much intelligence as imagination, assumes an avant-garde position in the revaluation of the figurative and increases with new and final qualities a unique body of work in our artistic context. His is the art of intensity. Dazzling"
Fuente: Armando Álvarez Bravo-Crítico de arte. Editorial Semana, Inc , jueves, 8 de agosto de 2013
Formation
Education
1980
- Studies of Painting. Fine Arts Department, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1976
- Studies of Painting. Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1972
- Studies of Civil Engineering. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Professional Experience
1977
- Founder. Galería Ausubo, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Individuales
2013
- Tiempo de convergencias, Galería Cueto, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2010
- En lo más mínimo, Galería Cueto, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009
- Conciencias libres, Galería Cueto, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Confrontaciones, Galería Cueto, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2007
- Naturaleza Urbana, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Rockefeller Center, New York, United States
- Verdes veredas, Galería Cueto, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005
- Espectros urbanos, Casa Rectora, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
- Pintura Reciente, Galería Obra, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2004
- Espectros urbanos, Museo de Las Américas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2003
- Pintura reciente, Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2002
- Pinturas del 2002, Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001
- Emociones del Caribe, Escuela Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes “Diego Quispe Tito”, Cuzco, Peru
- Entornos, Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2000
- Percepciones, Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1999
- Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
1998
- Antiguo Convento de los Dominicos, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1997
- La Galería, La Galería, Fundación Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic
1996
- Casa de Bastidas, Casa de Bastidas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- La Cruz Azul de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1995
- Galería Normandie, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1994
- Museo Casa Roig, Humacao, Puerto Rico
1993
- Galería Coabey, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1991
- Galería Iberoamericana, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1989
- Galería Andrés, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1987
- Universidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus, Humacao, Puerto Rico
Colectivas
2013
- Pasiones Regionales, Museo y Centro de Estudios Humanísticos Dra. Josefina de la Nuez, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
- Expresiones Pentatónicas, Museo de los Próceres, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
2007
- Contexto puertorriqueño: del rococcó colonial al arte global, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005
- V Bienal de Arte Contemporáneo de Florencia, Florence, Italy
2002
- Lazos Latinoamericanos, Cámara de Comercio de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Tiempo de Arte, Escuela de Bellas Artes, Cusco, Peru
- Fraternité Caraïbéenne au Festival de Couleurs, Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2001
- El Paisaje desde Adentro, Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1999
- Pasaje de Ida y Vuelta, Sala Julia de Burgos, Taller Boricua, New York, United States
1996
- III Bienal de Pintura del Caribe y Centro América, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1994
- Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
- Movimiento de Artistas Plásticos del Turabo, Pabellón de las Artes, Caguas, Puerto Rico
1991
- Galería Normandie, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Certamen Fundación Alfonso Arana, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1990
- El paisaje puertorriqueño, Galería Hispanoamericana, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1989
- Pintores en retratos y autorretratos, tres generaciones, Galería Hispanoamericana, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983
- Huellas, Galería Bohío, New York, United States
1986-1994
- Museo Sin Techo, a Sol y Agua, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2013
- Resident Artist. Museo y Centro de Estudios Humanísticos Dra. Josefina de la Nuez, Universidad del Turabo, Guarabo, Puerto Rico
1997
- Residency. Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic
1991
- Award. First Mention, Fundación Alfonso Arana Competition, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1982
- Honorable Mention. Gulf Collegiate Competition, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1981
- Honorable Mention. Mobil Oil Caribe Competition, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Collections
- Cooperativa de Seguros Múltiples de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Escuela Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes “Diego Quispe Tito”, Cusco, Peru
- Fundación Altos de Chavón, Dominican Republic
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- General Accident Insurance, London, England
- Santurce Medical Mall, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Casa de Bastidas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bibliography
Catalogues
“Entornos”, Galerías Prinardi, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2001.
“O. Vallejo”, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico, 1999.
“Orlando Vallejo Caraballo”, Galería Coabey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1993.
Newspapers
Alegre Barrios, Mario. “Exuberancia gestual en la obra de Vallejo”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 11 de junio de 1996, p. 79.
Colón Camacho, Doreen. “El follaje tropical de Orlando Vallejo”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 11 de mayo de 1995, p. 174.
Pérez Rivera, Tatiana. “Urbano y natural”, El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR). 10 de mayo de 2007, pp. 98-99.
Rodríguez, Jorge. “Cusco acoge arte boricua”, El Vocero (San Juan, PR). 1 de agosto de 2002, pp. E4-E5.
Rodríguez, Jorge. “Intensidad y pasión en el expresionismo de Vallejo”. 7 de diciembre de 2007, pp. E4-E5.
Rodríguez, Jorge. “Todo un éxito el Domingo de arte”. El Vocero (San Juan, PR), 22 de octubre de 2001, p. 76.