By Natalie Taylor
The women in Ana Julio Aguado’s paintings are reminiscent of the ivory-skinned beauties of ancient works of art one finds in Fine Art museums. There is a softness and a romanticism that harkens back to ages ago, as if one were visiting a studio of someone in a previous century. There is a definite connection to an earlier age, and it becomes clear when you find out about Ana’s background, and the influences that shaped who she is today.
Ana was born in the city of Queretaro, and cannot even remember the exact time when she first made a drawing on paper with a pencil, or applied color with a brush on canvas. But it began when she was a child, perhaps at the age of seven. One of the most important early influences was her mother, who had a painting school in Queretaro. Art was part of everyday life; it was practiced, appreciated and encouraged. Ana displayed a talent for drawing and painting very early, and there was no question that art would be her life’s pursuit. After high school, she went to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris—one of the premier school of Fine Arts, as well as one of the oldest, dating back to 1648.
One of the great advantages of being at the Fine Arts school in Paris, was being close to the Louvre. Ana spent many hours looking and studying the works of the fine masters. The French painters that most influenced her were Jean-Auguste Ingres and Eugene Delacroix, both part of the Romanticism movement of the 19th century, before the Impressionists. She says she had admired, and tried to emulate the pearlescent skin tones they used on their painted subjects, with the skin having the appearance of porcelain. Of the Mexican artists who have most influenced her painting style, she says it would most likely be the works of Saturnino Harran—a painter of the latter 19th and early 20th century.
After her studies in Paris, Ana returned to Queretaro where she studied Architecture, History of Art, marketing and critique of art. All these aspects of art became useful as she moved to owning a gallery of art, when she moved to San Miguel in 1998. This background was particularly useful as director and curator of the Contemporary Art Fair here—celebrating its third year in 2024.
The lovely ladies that inhabit the dream worlds of Ana’s paintings have soft eyes, and their slightly parted lips seem to be on the verge of revealing some fascinating secret. They speak to us in a whisper from the canvas, inviting us to be silent and listen to them. Whether resting on a bed of flowers; on a cloud; or twirling a long tress; they are feminine to the core. They evoke the manners and facial expressions of the Pre-Raphaelites, and Ana acknowledges these resemblances.
Ana is meticulous in the production of her paintings. She prepares her own canvas, because she says the support has to be just right—“tight like a mirror.” After the initial drawings, she uses a technique called grisaille for the next step. Grisaille is a particular way of underpainting, done with monochromatic, grayish tones which are eventually covered with many layers of color. This underpainting procedure gives a painting a three-dimensional effect, resembling sculptures. And that is how the subjects appear in the works of Ana—they are ethereal, languishing in a serene setting where fantastical elements appear as if it were the norm. Ana explains her work best in her own words: «My work seeks to represent the human being in divine connection with nature, as well as the contact of the being with his inner universe.»
Ana Julia Aguado is an international artist—her works have been exhibited in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum, the National Arts Club, and the New York Public Library. They have also been shown in Washington, DC; San Diego, and Long Beach in California; Palm Beach, Florida; and of course at the prestigious Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
During the upcoming San Miguel Festival for the Arts, Ana is planning to have a multi-artist exhibit at her gallery at Nemesio Diez 10, on August 12. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see her works, as well as those of other fine artists. Visit Arte Contemporaneo | Ana Julia Aguado Gallery | San Miguel De Allende, or stop in at the Aguado Gallery to view her works.
Natalie Taylor: BA in English Lit and Journalism, Loyola University, Chicago, 1995. MFA in Creative Writing, Vermont College, Montpelier, VT, 1999. Published writer, editor, journalist. Spanish teacher in the US, English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Translator. www.natalietaylor.org Contact: tangonata@gmail.com
