This Wednesday, September 30, in an emotional meeting with visual artists and cultural authorities, the master Juvenal Ravelo received recognition for his almost 80 years of artistic career, awarded by the Great Mission Viva Venezuela in the auditorium of the Armando Reverón Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas, located in Parque Central.
The award was presented by Tarek William Saab, head of this cultural program attached to the Office of the President of the Republic, accompanied by Mary Pemjean, Vice Minister of Arts of Image and Space, and other personalities.
The poet Saab read the reason for the recognition, highlighting "the valuable participation, trajectory and contribution to Venezuelan cultural identity" that Ravelo, one of the pillars of national kinetic art, has bequeathed.
He expressed that it is a "deeply heartfelt" tribute to his "profound career of approximately 80 years, because he began in art as a teenager," and highlighted his 92 years as those of a man full of life, a master who continues to create individually and collectively.
He praised Ravelo, a native of Caripito, Monagas state, as a historical figure of the nation and said that in his work viewers can admire his image, color and light, but above all because he is a creator who "gave himself to his people and who have adopted him as one of the forerunners of kinetic art."
He emphasized that Ravelo "is the most important living visual artist in the country and in Latin America."
He further explained that Viva Venezuela will continue to honor creators with outstanding careers.
In defense of culture
For his part, Ravelo stated that he was surprised by this recognition and that he feels proud of his approach to participatory street art, which he conceived after his trip to Paris in the late 1960s and which he has developed both upon his return to Venezuela and in his travels through countries such as Argentina, Cuba, Chile and France itself.
He added that he is "a defender of the arts" and concluded: "I am interested in spreading this message throughout the country, since culture is the main engine for developing any type of system."
Ravelo's work is present in everyday life in Caracas; for example, his most recent creations can be found in the Plaza de la Juventud and on the inner facade of the Rómulo Gallegos Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
She has also recently created collective art with a social purpose, including participants from the National Institute of Female Orientation, a women's prison located in Los Teques, Miranda state.
