Angel Ramiro Sanchez was born in 1974 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. At age six was accepted with full scholarship into the Instituto the Niños Cantores del Zulia, school for musically gifted children. At age fourteen he began five years of apprenticeship with the realist painter, Abdon J. Romero, an eminent specialist in murals for churches and public buildings. In 1993, a study grant from Mgr. Gustavo Ocando Yamarte, Founder the Niños Cantores, enabled him to travel to Florence, Italy, where he studied at the renowned Accademia di Belle Arti, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1997. At the same time, he was enrolled at The Florence Academy of Art,founded by painter Daniel Graves, where he received a diploma in Painting. Ramiro was appointed senior painting instructor at The Florence Academy of Art in 1997, and is currently Director of the Advanced Painting Program.
Ramiro paints only from life, searching for accuracy beyond physical appearance to reach the psychological state of his subject. He believes the painter must draw his information from "all five senses" to tell the complete human story.
Ramiros work is predominantly represented by th e Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York, but also Scriba Gallery, venice, Italy, Jack Meier Gallery, Houston, Tx.
Ramiros works can be found in numerous private collections in Europe, The United States and South America. Public collections include: The Fondazione Stelline, Milan, Italy. The Fremantle Foundation for Foreing Artist in Tuscany at Villa Peyron, Florence, Italy and The Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA. USA. He shares his life and passion for art with his wife, the artist Melissa Franklin-Sanchez.
Education
1993-1997 Florence Academy of Art, directed by Daniel Graves, Florence, Italy.
1993-1997 Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze Graduated Magna Cum Laude, Thesis: Historic and Technical Notes of Academic Realism Today.
1995 Florence, Italy: Michael John Angel Studios.
1988-1993 Maracaibo, Venezuela: Abdon Romero Atelier.
Employment
1997 - present : Portrait Commissions
1997 - present : Senior Painting Instructor at the Florence Academy of Art
1996: Count Guicciardini, Montopoli Vald�Arno, Italy Commissioned
works: portraiture, still life, landscape
1995 Mural commission, Old Bridge Restaurant, San Giovanni Vali Arno
1992-1993 Assisted Prof. Abdon Romero Atelier with mural project:
Historia de la Salvacion, (oil 500 sq. m.)
Ciudad de Dios, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
1990-1991 Assisted Prof. Abdon Romero Atelier with commissions:
Al Arca de la Alianza, (oil 4m. x 8m.)
Resureccion del Senor, (7m. x 9m.)
1999-2004, 2006, 2011, 2014: Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York
Group Shows
2021 - A Clever Clarity, The Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2006 The Florence Academy of Art: Annual Alumni Exhibition, Stables of the Corsini Palace, Florence, Italy; W.H. Patterson, London, England
2005 Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy
The Florence Academy of art: First Annual Alumni Exhibition, Stables of the Corsini Palace, Florence, Italy
2003 Still Classical: Recent Works on Paper from Florentine Academies and Studios, Westbeth Arts Gallery, New York; ISB Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design; Palazzetto Cenci, Rome; Chiesa dell'Educatorio di Foligno, Florence
2003 Realism Revisited: Paintings from the Florence Academy of Art, Panorama Museum, frankenhausen, Germany; hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York
2001 The New masters Show, general Electric Headquarters, Connecticut
1998 New Works, Grenning Gallery, New York City
1997 Inaugural Show, Rosso Cinabro Association, Florence, Italy
Alumni and Staff of the Florence Academy of Art, St Peter's Hall, London, England
Ramiro solo show this year steps forward into a more mystical and hopeful realm. Anchoring the exhibit is a suite of four substantial figurative works, with each painting representing a season of the soul. Although well known for his expert likenesses in portraiture and grand figurative work, Ramiro's distinguishing characteristic is, ironically, his ability to let go of the discreet reality of the eyes when necessary. With this, he infuses his narrative compositions with mystery that allows the paintings to endure the critical test of time.
"Spring" symbolizes the start of a new effort, which is made despite risk, seen in the hornet, which is hovering around her head. Rather than fear, her face emits hope and positive energy as the figure looks as if this pale waif is going to step out of her pale world. A translucent bubble barely supports her, as she rests a foot on a hint of a step, a top a sand colored world with hints of a warm sunset.
"Summer" rises up out of her cool night waters, with several moons dotting the steamy sky. Woman coming from and creating the source of water is a theme that we have seen for 16 years in Ramiro's work. In this piece however, the moody setting is a perfect foil for his figured direct and arresting gaze which transfixes the viewer.
"Autumn" is a fine figurative work of a dreamscape evoking the coming hibernation. Here, her legs are beautifully rendered out in the light, but the torso of the figure is laying back in the space. She disappears into an abstract painting which is rich and dark with splashes of brilliant autumn colors, like leaves falling.
"Winter" is an indoor painting, unlike the others, depicting a single figure reading a book in front of his studio's book case, packed with art postcards, art history books and jars of pigments. Beautiful spring flowers drift in the foreground, as the reader, lost in her alternative reality through the literature, is thinking the flowers into existence. Ramiro's poetic translation of his winters spent in his studio in Florence is a perfect contrast the plein air landscapes made on the East End and in Italy that finish this show.
Ramiro delivers a solo show that is well worth the four year wait. His perpetually curious intellect turns inward with this most recent work. This exhibition is broad in subject matter, introspective in tone, and deeply connected to his present life. His much heralded precocious painting technique is now maturing. Ramiro's masterful compositional sense remains in full force and this more mature period is still drenched in his many aesthetic influences, whether it's music, classical mythology, 19th century poetry or contemporary psychology.
Since his first solo show in 2000, Ramiro has developed major themes through allegorical female figures and he has looked closely at male vanity, while also painting interiors, portraits and more recently, plein air landscapes. Currently, in his two major studio interiors "Los Amigos" and "The Windows of My Studio", he now adds the spiritual concept of witnessing life and light. "Los Amigos" marks a departure in that he is drawing on his own personal experience here rather than classical literature or music. While this is a realistic painting of chairs in his studio, they symbolize our friends, who are there to support us, always welcoming even if they are not physically present. The deep red tones evoke a warm friendly feeling. In a subtle nod to magical realism, which has always suffused his work, there is a leaf floating in the foreground. This represents the perennial nature of true friendships, which may lose their leaves in a season, but grow stronger after each year.
Ramiro will exhibit a few selected works this year, as he is busy working on a major series of paintings for next year's show. Most interesting, however, is the groundbreaking dual portrait painted by Ramiro and Sanchez. Both husband and wife had a hand in this piece, one painting the other's likeness, resulting in a breathtaking image of the partnership. Standing together in an elegant pose, emanating an energy of quiet togetherness, the couple captures a visual representation of the vital sense of community between artists. This masterful piece is original on various levels. A rare depiction of a married pair of artists, this painting not only showcases Ramiro and Sanchez as a union, but captures a very 21st century behavior, collaboration. This joint effort demonstrates the deep humility these painters have about themselves in the face of creating art. Through a painting as such, it is clear to see that this new generation of artists relate to the world and to each other with more respect and less ego than many artists of the 20th century.
Ramiros recent works reveal a shift towards brighter, more hopeful images, a continued exploration of contemporary figure painting and a further refinement to his masterful abilities. This group of paintings is infused with a refreshed, higher key pal- ette, and a deeper questioning of some of the prescribed compo- sitions often seen in classical realist painting today.
Ramiro (b. 1974), originally a classically trained musician, brings us a lyrical series of spiritual figurative paintings this year. Hymn is an homage to the way one expresses their spiritual elations through song. The young woman's face belies ecstasy as she levitates above the Earth into the abstract realm of spirituality. Red and yellow hues streak the atmosphere below, depicting her passion and complete envelopment in the musical manifestation of a higher power. This breakthrough work by Ramiro merges his highly refined classical figurative narrative with an abstract background, creating a 21st century religious painting. It also recalls the sculpture Ecstasy of Saint Theresa by Bernini in Rome, which describes the intense joy of spiritual elation, attainable only when one relinquishes the worldly plane. Also technically, Hymn is a virtuosic work with the foreshortened legs and face.
Melissa Franklin Sanchez (b. 1984) exhibits her latest work, created in her new hometown, Fiesole. Her sought after gem-like interiors are inspired by the likes of Hammershoi, with their dramatic lighting and deep sense of intimacy. Summer Light our favorite, sold before it even got a label put on it! Also, Franklin Sanchez made an important shift to painting on aluminum panels for technical reasons. While the copper is a warm toned base, it is also heavy and difficult to find large panels. There are also the final two candle paintings on copper, which literally glow. Franklin Sanchez's Collecting Memories harkens back to the finest Dutch still lives. We see a bolder more confident landscape painter, with two especially strong works Forget-me-not and Fiesole Sunset. This group of paintings clearly shows an artist inspired by her new environment and we look forward to more paintings.
