Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt (23 October 1919 â 14 May 1995) 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. Most of the major cities in Colombia have statues sculpted by Arenas Betancourt.
Arenas was the son of a peasant couple from Antioquia. As a child, he helped his parents with farming in Fredonia, his hometown. After completing his primary education, he briefly attended the Yarumal Seminary of Missions between 1931 and 1932. Around 1938, he began developing his skills as a sculptor, carving wooden Christ figures and assisting other sculptors and muralists, such as Pedro Nel Gómez and Bernardo Vieco Ortiz, in the construction of their works.
Arenas studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in MedellÃÂn and at the School of Fine Arts of the National University of Colombia in Bogotá between 1939 and 1941. In 1944, Arenas decided to settle in Mexico to pursue studies at the Academy of San Carlos and the La Esmeralda Free Art Association. During his time in Mexico, Arenas combined his studies in visual arts with work related to his artistic side. Also Arenas was a set design assistant at Azteca Estudios, a writer and columnist for print media, a sculptor, and an art photographer. Arenas was an art teacher at the Ciudadela School of Crafts in Mexico City, which he also co-founded.
Between 1959 and 1966, Arenas worked in the United States and then traveled to Europe, where he lived until the end of 1966. During his time on the continent, Arenas Betancourt also served as Minister Counselor at the Colombian Embassy in Italy. Upon returning to Colombia permanently in early 1967, he established his art studio in the municipality of Caldas (Antioquia), where he employed both novice and experienced artists. He also served as an artistic advisor to the University of Antioquia in his home country.
Throughout his career, he worked with a variety of materials, from drawings, portraits, and watercolors to monumental works that combined steel and concrete. He was also a skilled sculptor, utilizing plaster, wood, basalt, stone, bronze, and terracotta, among others. From the early 1950s onward, he began creating his larger works, generally commissioned by government entities and private companies, and some simply undertaken for his personal enjoyment.
Examples of his artwork are:
Additionally to sculpture, Arenas Betancourt worked in printmaking and book illustration.
Cuauhtémoc, one of his great sculptures created between 1953 and 1954, 18 meters high and made of bronze and basalt, which was expressly commissioned by the Mexican government to be installed in the Building of the Ministry of Communications and Public Works (SCOP) of Mexico City, was irreparably damaged in the Mexico earthquake of 1985.
On 18 October 1987, Arenas was kidnapped by the FARC in Caldas (Antioquia), while traveling with his wife and children. He was released on 1 January 1988, after 81 days in captivity, after his family paid a large sum of money demanded by his kidnappers for his release, he dedicated himself to drawing in a notebook and writing about his experiences in captivity, which later formed the basis for his book, 'The Steps of the Condemned' (es:Los pasos del condenado).
Arenas Betancourt died on 14 May 1995 in El Rosario Clinic in MedellÃÂn in 1995 from liver cancer. His remains rest in Fredonia. His ashes rest at the base of the torch of liberty carried on the right hand of the sculpture of the Nude BolÃÂvar.
Arenas Betancourt was married twice. Celia Calderón de la Barca Olvera was his wife, a Mexican artist whom he married in 1950 and who was known for her engravings, oil paintings and watercolors, although their relationship ended tragically with her suicide in Mexico, an event that deeply impacted him. His second wife was Lydia Rosas, with whom he had two children: José Patricio, Rita Virginia and Margarita. His third wife was the poet MarÃÂa Elena Quintero, who accompanied him during the last 20 years of his life and is now the caretaker of his legacy.
His bronze statues are characterized by their enormous proportions and dramatic expression. He is considered one of the most prolific and highly regarded Colombian artists, both nationally and internationally. His works are characterized by their monumental scale, melodrama, and spectacular nature, many of which highlight prominent figures in Colombian history and their significant achievements. Many of his sculptures are public monuments, and almost his entire body of work can be found in various cities in Colombia and Mexico. Some works not intended for public display remain in Caldas (Antioquia) under the care of his wife, MarÃÂa Elena Quintero de Arenas, and their five children. He was a serial sculptor who primarily worked with bronze, concrete, and steel, although some of his early works also incorporated terracotta. He won the National Salon of Artists of Colombia Prize in 1975, awarded by the Colombian Institute of Culture (Colcultura).
Among his most outstanding works, which are currently on public display, are the following: