Adrián Villeta: The Language of Emotion
Adrián Villeta, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a master of romantic portraiture whose career spans over 35 years. His artistic journey began under the mentorship of renowned painter Andrés Bueso and evolved through his studies at the Corcoran School of Arts in Washington, DC, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Blending photography with painting, Villeta creates timeless black-and-white portraits that are meticulously hand-painted in oil, capturing the grace and elegance of a bygone era. Influenced by the poetic compositions of Julia Margaret Cameron and the masterful realism of John Singer Sargent, his work harmonizes mood, tableau, and detail to celebrate the unique qualities of his sitters.
How did your creative journey begin?
Throughout my life art has been a door to a unique and beautiful world in which I can lose myself in my dreams. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, my first art studies were with Andrés Bueso, a renowned Puerto Rican painter. With him I learned to polish my artistic eye as to the composition and the use of color. During my high school years my art teacher, noticing my frustration at not being able to paint as I wanted, suggested that I explore photography. At that moment, the course of my life changed.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Since my beginnings as a portraitist woman has been a source of inspiration in my work. My artwork combines painting and photography to create a romantic vision that captures the grace and elegance of a bygone era while celebrating the modern virtues of strength, independence, and self confidence found in my subjects.
How has your work evolved over the last few years?
For most of my 40-year career as an artist, I worked with black-and-white photographs printed on fiber paper matte c-print with a sepia tone and then hand painted in oil. I have concentrated the last few years on working with photo collages.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
Before social media arrived, I would go through my beloved collection of artbooks, plus refer to my notes from visits to art galleries and museums, in search of ideas to explore further in the studio. Now with social media as a tool, I can expand my search further, having access to the artwork of artists on their own sites, plus visits to important venues, art galleries, museums all over the world.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
There are two artists in particular who have had a major influence in my work. British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron's portraits seize with surprising sureness the personality and character of her sitters. Cameron’s photographs are more than records of appearance. Startling in their originality and intensity, her images reveal the very mind and soul of the individuals who sat before her camera. American painter John Singer Sargent, whose paintings present a reality in itself, also influences my work. His elegant and incisive characterization is based on an in-depth analysis of various elements, such as light, color, and atmosphere, as well as an emphatic desire to highlight unique details, among them costume and accessories. Sargent’s skill lies in his ability to depict qualities in his sitters that draw the viewer into his portraits.
How has social media impacted your work?
Social media has opened a whole new world of inspiration and community to me. In exchange, it requires your approach to be very focused, and to be more aggressive in promoting your artwork, as it is much more competitive to get the public’s attention.
Can you share what drew you to your chosen medium?
While at the Corcoran School of Arts in Washington, DC, where I obtained a bachelor’s degree in design and photography, my painting and drawing professor showed me the work of Julia Margaret Cameron. Her soft focused, romantic portraits provided the key to unlock my vision in photography through a drawing vocabulary. I realized the texture of charcoal on textured drawing paper equaled the grain of a black and white photograph.
IG: @AdrianVilleta
Website: adrianvilleta.com