Today I went with my friend Cecilia to the Museum of Benito Quinquela Martin. I’ve wanted to go here for a long time but never managed to find the place, so today I asked Cecilia to take me — I’m so glad I did.
Quinquela Martin was a son of La Boca, a working class barrio down by the docks. His art depicts the life of the dockworkers of his day. It reminded me of the work of Diego Rivera, which also affected me deeply.
Quinquela Martin’s work is easily recognizable for its incredible use of colour and light. I’m afraid my iPhone photographs don’t do it justice, but here they are anyway. The second last is a high relief sculpture of the artist at work, mounted on the outside wall of one of the iconic cafes of the area, La Perla de Caminito. The last is a shot of his paints and brushes — imagine what those simple tools in the hands of a master created.