Luis Filcer

Art Brokerage: Luis Filcer Mexican Artist: b. 1927. Luis Filcer (born 1927) is a Mexican Expressionist painter, whose works generally deal with themes of injustice and struggle. His family fled the Ukraine for Mexico after the Russian Revolution to escape Jewish persecution and Filcer grew up in Mexico City. His interest in painting came early but had to sell a painting before his family would accept his vocation. Strongly influenced by Van Gogh’s life, he began to draw and paint the struggles of everyday people, something he has continued since. His work has been exhibited in various countries of the world and has been recognized with several medals and membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. Filcer was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine in 1927 to a Jewish family. When he was only six months old, the family fled the country because of Jewish persecution after the Russian Revolution. No one in his family would talk about the horrors they experienced in the Ukraine. After arriving to Mexico City, the family settled in the La Lagunilla neighborhood. When he was sixteen he entered the Academy of San Carlos to study painting, attending class in the morning and working in the afternoon. Each evening after the close of business, he painted. He later studied at the workshop of Spanish painter José Bardasano for three years, focusing on drawing and painting. An award at the Círculo de Bellas Artes allowed Filcer to obtain a scholarship to live and study for two and a half years in Paris and Rome, beginning at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. While in Europe, Filcer spent time traveling and visiting museums in London, Madrid, Amsterdam, Rome and Florence, studying the paintings there. He stated that he learned more in this way, with his first views of works by Francisco de Goya changing his life. Van Gogh’s work also strongly affected him. He began his career in Mexico, where sold his first painting and in 1949 worked at the Taller de Gráfica Popular. Filcer settled on an aesthetic early, primarily in the use of chiaroscuro to express drama and strong Expressionism. He is inclined towards thick brushstrokes for strong, sudden effect. He declares himself a “fervent admirer of Van Gogh, Goya and José Clemente Orozco.” He was influenced by the works of Van Gogh which depicted the hard life of miners as well as Goya’s depictions of war. Influence from José Clemente Orozco is evident in some of his works, especially in sarcasm. He stated “I paint all that I experience including my fantasies and demons; I am an Expressionist and I paint what stirs my emotions.