Town Expression
The characters in Alejandro De Jesús’ paintings seem to have been taken from any corner of any part of town in our country. His painted
expressions look so familiar that we immediately identify ourselves with the sentiment and environment created by him. Some time ago a woman
called him to tell him about the emotion she felt when she saw his oil painting Jugadores de Dominó (Domino Players), for such work of art reminded
her of the days when her mother used to play that game.
Alejandro was born in 1944, in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico but was raised in Barrio Savarona, in Caguas. As a boy he amused himself by drawing
comic strip characters he saw in the newspaper his father brought home and helping friends in school artistic projects. When he was ten years
old, while studying at Public School Gerardo Sellés Solá he was awarded a scholarship to study art.This way he met Caguas Painter Victor
Torres Lizardi. Victor taught him to take his first serious steps in art working with charcoal, tempera and oil. His influence excited Alejandro’s
thirst for art knowledge in such a way that Alejandro dedicated himself to drawing portraits and figures of his Savarona’s friends, magazine and
newspaper images or any other subject calling his attention.
When teenager he moved to New York City and started visiting art museums and galleries to gain more art experience. He studied at Famous Artist's
Schools in Westport, Connecticut and later at Art Student's League in New York City where he was impressed by Robert Beverly Hale’s anatomy teachings.
In 1965 he joined the United States Navy where his artistic gift became known as he worked on drawings and calligraphy for Navy officers.
After Alejandro returned to Puerto Rico in 1971, he studied on his own through books and videos the thoughts and techniques of the great master
painters of Europe and United States. He practiced continuously to find his true potential. While Alejandro considers himself a self-taught artist,
he acknowledges his briefly surveying some drawing and painting courses at School of Plastic Arts in San Juan, The Art League in San Juan and
University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Alejandro graduated with honors in Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico in 1976.
In 1985 Alejandro founded: Alejandro DJ Studio, born out of a genuine preoccupation about figurative artistic education with effective, objective
and knowledgeable communication, available to children and adults in Puerto Rico. His art studio is dedicated to teaching the basic and advanced
principles of drawing and painting in the traditional method.
In 1987 he received an Honorary Mention for his oil painting Vendedor de Sombreros (The Hat Salesman) in
a Painting Competition of Editorial Sin
Nombre, The Art League in San Juan. This painting and another oil painting, La Clase (The Class) were
acquired by Caguas Art Museum and are part of
its Permanent Collection.
In 1997 he traveled to Europe and visited more than 25 art museums in France, Spain, Italy, Brussels and Holland. During that trip he had the
opportunity to closely observe and analyze the paintings of masters like Rembrandt,Velázquez, Sorolla, Goya, El Greco, Van Gogh, Caravaggio and
many more. This experience completed opening his eyes to the true fundamentals of art and his duty to teach them to any interested student. These
last few years Alejandro has dedicated himself to writing and videotaping this knowledge for his students. Part One of his first
DVD video: Fundamentos de la Pintura al Oleo (Fundamentals of Oil Painting) has been acquired by
art students from Spain, South America, United States and Puerto Rico. It has also been
acquired by The Art League in San Juan. Alejandro plans to translate this videotape to the English Language.
What is outstanding in Alejandro’s paintings is the town expression he is able to catch in the moments his characters are living. His favorite medium
is oil. He is a figurative artist with a certain tendency towards impressionism and a strong taste of chiaroscuro which is never predictable. He likes
to paint groups of people in an environment of games or amusements but he also paints subjects like still life, landscape, interiors and others.
In 1998 he visited his alma mater The University of Puerto Rico to participate in an open workshop of figurative art with live models organized by
Professor Martín García. Alejandro completed 64 acrylic paintings and more than 250 charcoal drawings. The paintings are part of series Desnudos
Espontáneos (Spontaneous Nudes) shown that same year in Caguas Museum.
His work has been exhibited in individual and group shows in Puerto Rico and United States including Blue Cross of Puerto Rico, Caguas Museum, Puerto
Rico Capitol, Lyzette Gallery, Turabo Gallery, Lucas Casillas Gallery, Internacional Gallery, Café Teatro Félix Caballero, Chesebrough-Pond's, Cearte,
Fine Arts Center of Guaynabo, Museo and Casa Rectoría University of Turabo, Centro Cultural Cayrabón in San Lorenzo, Old City Hall in Gurabo, Museo
Fuerte Conde de Mirasol in Vieques, Centro de Bellas Artes Adolfo Porrata Doria in Guayama, Art League in San Juan, University of Puerto Rico, Caguas
Coop, Museo Histórico de Caguas, Museo de Arte de Humacao, Pabellón de las Artes de Caguas and Casa del Ajedrez in Caguas. He has also exhibited in Danbury City Hall, Executive
Gallery and Artworks Gallery, Inc. in Connecticut.
A large part of his drawings and paintings are in public and private collections. He has done many commissioned solo and group portraits. Alejandro
is currently part of the group of Artistas Plásticos del Valle del Turabo who showed from 2002 to 2003 Una Década de Creación 1992 - 2002 (A Decade
of Creation 1992 – 2002) in many cities throughout the island.
Alejandro has more than 50 years of experience in art and 15 years teaching drawing and painting in his studio located at Avenida José Garrido N-2,
Urbanización San Antonio in Caguas.
Children, teenagers and adults are taught how to work with charcoal, pastel, acrylic and oil in Alejandro DJ Studio every Saturday.
Juan A. Pastoriza Díaz
Director del Museo y
Centro de Estudios Humanísticos
Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, P.R.
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