Altar de los Andes (Altar of the Andes)
- Watercolor on paper and wax
- 142 x 75 cm
- 2026
- Enmarcación: No
- Certificado: Sí
$5.816
“A sacred architecture emerging from the Andean worldview.” In Altar de los Andes (Altar of the Andes, 2026), Miguel Betancourt merges the structure of colonial altarpieces with the vibrant strength of the Ecuadorian landscape. This large-format artwork (142 x 75 cm) utilizes the transparency of watercolor on rice paper, sealed with wax, to create an atmosphere of mysticism and light. A visual portal where architecture becomes organic and color celebrates the spirituality of the territory.
Description
Altar de los Andes (Altar of the Andes): The Portal Between the Earthly and the Sacred
Altar de los Andes (Altar of the Andes) is a fundamental piece in Miguel Betancourt’s current series. In this work, the artist proposes a Fauvist reinterpretation of baroque altarpieces, stripping them of rigidity to transform them into an explosion of life and color that resonates with the energy of the mountain range.
In-Depth Artwork Analysis:
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Architectural Symbolism: The structure suggests a triumphal arch or an altarpiece that contains no saints, but light and landscape. It is a homage to “mestizo architecture” where European forms yield before Andean chromatism.
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Matter and Texture: The choice of rice paper and the wax technique allows cobalt blues, solar yellows, and intense pinks to acquire an almost translucent depth. The wax not only protects, but unifies pencil and brush strokes into a single organic skin.
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Spatial Presence: Standing 142 cm high, the artwork dominates vertical space, inviting the viewer into a visual ascent from the earthly base to the floral crowning at the top.
“I seek for the viewer not only to see a landscape, but to enter a chromatic sanctuary where history and nature converse without words.” — Miguel Betancourt.
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“In Miguel Betancourt’s work, color is not mere filling; it is a living language that rescues the transparency of wax paper to remind us that light is the soul of form.”
Humberto Montero Estrella