Flying steeds and happy endings

Peruvian artist José Carlos Ramos is known as one of the best exponents of Latin American Magical Surrealism. His paintings draw viewers into a fantasy world of flying horses, mystical landscapes, spiritual aura and an overwhelming sense of peace and harmony. In his first exhibition in the region, titled “Horses of Harmony and Hope”, held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE minister of higher education, the artist is showcasing a series of breathtaking paintings featuring his famous flying white horses, along with the sculptures of the horses. The show, curated by Mari Gamarra, has been organised by Lima-based C & C International Art Dealers with the support of the Consulate General of Peru in Dubai.

The surrealistic art movement spread in Latin America after André Breton, French writer, poet and father of Surrealism, travelled to Mexico in 1938. Breton described Surrealism as a conscious approach to make the unconscious visible. And Ramos has developed his own unique language to do just that. He brings alive on his canvases a universe that exists only in his subconscious. His beautiful white horses look almost human. They smile, dance, embrace, meditate, converse and communicate lovingly with each other. Like angels, albeit without wings, they frolic in the sky and dance around the moon against a typical Peruvian backdrop of lush green vegetation, brightly coloured flora and fauna of the Amazon forest, shimmering stars and constellations and the snow-covered peaks of the Andes. The vibrant colours in the background and the play of light and darkness perfectly balance the pure whiteness of the horses. And the artist has used gold and silver leaf to add a magical luminosity to his oil paintings. Through these paintings Ramos invites viewers to transcend reason and reality and become part of a harmonious cosmos.

Although the world he is depicting is imaginary, it is very real to the artist. Each of the horses has a name and a purpose, and Ramos has created a story to breathe life into these creatures from his dreams. He loves to tell this story. “A long time ago, a great energy came to the Earth in the form of a bright cloud and settled in an ancient distant land,” he says. It then split into ten small cloudlets, which upon touching that lovely and beautiful country turned into ten noble steeds called Encouragement, Patience, Hope, Peace, Will, Faith, Optimism, Harmony, Love and Knowledge. Encouraged by these positive forces, the ancient land reached their ideals and the people were very happy. The chief of the land ordered his people to care for, protect and feed these beautiful creatures from heaven to preserve their beauty and power. But with fortune so easily available, after some time, the people neglected these steeds, and being sad, sick and hungry, they left the place. And soon the country was plagued by famine, pests, disease and natural disasters, turning it to ruins.

“Realising that the absence of the horses was the cause of the misfortunes of his people, the chief punished those who were supposed to care for them and ordered the people to search for the steeds and convince them to return. Seeing the condition of the people, the horses returned and once again the country flourished. The horses told the people that they had left not because they were not loved, but because the people had not understood that by losing the virtues that had always been theirs, their world would end. The people began to value these virtues and lived happily ever after.”

Although Ramos enjoys sharing this story, he does not want to reveal the identity of each horse, preferring to leave it to viewers to decide the quality each one represents. Seen in the context of the story, his compositions and their titles become more meaningful and uplifting as well as thought-provoking. For instance, a painting titled “Immense Simplicity” shows nine horses following one who appears to be the leader, making viewers think about the things that are most important to them and are the guiding forces in their life. Similarly, a painting titled “Oasis” shows two horses bending down to drink water from a stream. A crescent moon shines in the dark sky. But strangely, the stars appear not in the sky, but in the water. It is up to viewers to decide whether the world reflected in the water exists or whether the horses are reaching out towards a dream world.

Ramos’s imaginary world is inspired by his surroundings and his heritage. The Andes mountains often appear in his paintings because the artist was born in the small Andean town of Izcuchaca, which dates back to the time of the Incas. And many of the paintings depict the vivid colours of the sunsets in the mountains. The dancing steeds in his paintings are inspired by the Peruvian Passo breed of horses, known for their extremely graceful gait. And they look as beautiful in his sculptures, which include three sets of ten horses. One set is gold-plated, another is silver-plated and the third is in black acrylic. Ramos has carefully created the tails and manes of the horses with individual gold and silver threads. Each horse is shown in a different, surrealistic pose and as in the paintings, they appear almost human, playful, sociable and happy.

“These horses embody all the things we need to become better people and to make the world a better place. And they symbolise my dream of living in a peaceful and harmonious universe. I am very happy to exhibit my paintings in a country where the people share my love for horses,” Ramos says.

Horses of Harmony and Hope will be held at the Boulevard, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai, from January 14 to 29