Raphael Collazo: The Search for Expression

Puerto Rico-born artist, Raphael Collazo (1943-1990), created abstract works inspired by art traditions, philosophy, and natural and ethereal worlds. 

His work is recognized for impasto, or thick paint, as well as distinct color combinations and shapes inspired by Abstract Expressionism, Italian Renaissance painters, and 18th-century French painters. Collazo’s paintings express his ongoing fascinations with real and imagined realms, harmony and healing, the creation of life, and spiritual awakening. “I want to put everything in my paintings…,” the artist said, “constantly invent new forms, employ every color and shade I can concoct, vary my surface, create new textures and use collage, or rather appliqué elements I make myself.”​​

As a child Collazo moved to the Lower East Side of New York City with his mother and grandmother. Interested in art, he pursued art studies followed by intense exploration at the Art Students League (1967-1976), at which time he began to exhibit work between the continental United States and Puerto Rico. He was on a constant quest to learn about the world and paint its beauties and mysteries.

“I want my work to say it all to the viewer by just looking. It could mean so many things to so many people, so what I say is irrelevant. I want it to mean what it means to you. Not what it means to me.”​—Raphael Collazo

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website