Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt

Colombian sculptor

Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt (23 October 1919 – 14 May 1995^[1]) was a Colombian sculptor. At the time of his death in 1995 he was recognized as one of the most important sculptors in Colombia and Latin America.^[1] Most of the major cities in Colombia have statues sculpted by Arenas Betancourt.^{[citation needed]}

Arenas Betancourt died on 14 May 1995 in the municipality of Caldas, located in the southern end of the Valley of Aburrá and part of the Medellín Metropolitan Area.^[1]

His bronze statues are characterized by their enormous proportions and dramatic expression.^[1]

Examples of his artwork are:

Naked Bolívar in Pereira
Monumento a la Raza, bronze and concrete, 38 m height, located in La Alpujarra Administrative Center in Medellín
Sculptural Complex Vargas Swamp Lancers near Paipa is the largest sculpture in Colombia.
Monument to Effort in Armenia
Monument to the Marching Revolution in Valledupar
Monument to the founders in Bogotá (installed 1965)^[2]
Statue of Simón Bolívar in Bogotá (installed 1963)^[2]

Additionally to sculpture, Arenas Betancourt worked in printmaking and book illustration.^[3]

Gallery

Vargas Swamp Lancers, bronze, steel and concrete, 33 m height, Paipa, Boyacá
Monumento a la Raza in Medellín
Monument to Effort, bronze, steel and concrete, 28 m height, Armenia, Colombia
Man, creator of Energy, bronze, steel and concrete, 18 m height, located in University of Antioquia
Bolivar Condor bronze and concrete, located in the main square of Manizales
Liberty Christ, located in Barranquilla
The Flute Player, concrete and plaster. University of Antioquia
Naked Bolivar, Pereira
Monument to José Eustasio Rivera, Neiva
Los Potros, a tribute to José Eustasio Rivera, in Neiva
La oración al proscrito in Bogotá
Monument to life in Medellín
Prometheus Bound, bronze
La Gaitana Monument in Neiva
Monument to the Founders in Villavicencio

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rodrigo Arenas Betancur.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Juan Fernando Tabares (2006). "El maestro Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt". "Estoy cargado de tigre", frases de Álvaro Uribe. Intermedio Editores. pp. 151–152.
^ ^a ^b Jacobs, Daniel (2018). The rough guide to Colombia. Stephen Keeling (2nd ed.). London. ISBN 978-0-241-31170-7. OCLC 1064634629.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 11 January 2023.