 |
|
On the Spanish version of Merida Personalities, we ask the people of Merida to make recommendations as to who they think should be featured in Merida Personalities. Very few of the selections come from within the staff of andes.net. If you have visited Merida and met a person who you think would be a good Merida Personalities, please drop us an e-mail and give us as many details as you can. Thanks! JUAN FELIX SANCHEZ  Across from the
Bolivar Square, up an old winding wood stairwell are treasures
of the past. A quiet place of worn wood, formed from years of soft use, of books,
photographs and collections of memories, a place where those who love the arts can
express, perform and enjoy. A place, where if you are of like mind, you will be
welcome. The name of the place is: la casa de la cultura "Juan Felix Sanchez" de
Merida, or more popularly known as the house of culture..
Here, among the memorabilia, is a repository, of whom many consider a great man. A creative man, a popular artist, and pioneer, in what was then a new media-plastics. Those who were privileged to know him, were always aware of his artistic gifts, and spiritual radiation. His name was: Juan Felix Sanchez.
He loved his creator and understood that man was blessed with the ability to use his hands and body to perform and express the emotions and feelings of the heart. He treasured hard work and creativity, building the chapel: Capilla de Piedra in San Rafael de Mucuchies, stone, by stone, by stone, and all by himself!. Today, this chapel is frequently used for worship as it stands as a labor of love and a gift to his church by a great and giving man. Andes.net salutes the work and life of: |
Juan was born into a family of campesinos (worker’s) in
1900. His early adult life was involved in his town politics, serving as a judge. Upon the
death of his beloved mother, Juan, in deep remorse, left his town for the remote el Tisure
area of the paramos mountains in the company of his longtime friend and companion: Epifania
Gil. His property, named: el potrero, is where he displayed all his artistry using
natural materials such as stone, clay, and wood. Here, Juan erected a statue of the great
liberator with a head of natural stone which has an uncanny likeness of Bolivar. In the
same park, Juan built his first chapel in honor of la virgen de coromoto; and all out of
hand-layed native stone. It was while in the mountains that his creativity really
flourished. Juan designed and wove beautiful blankets on the foot loom. He made puppets
and became an accomplished puppeteer. As a stone carver, he was recognized as a true
artisan, his first work entitled: Cristo-Virgen-Magdalena, carved in marble, has remained
for many decades-lost. In the last fifteen years of his life, Juan became recognized
through many expositions as an artist of national importance. In 1997, he died, a poor
man, in a hospital in Merida. Within those prolific 97 years, he did what few have
done...
he left a legacy of: creativity, simplicity, honesty, hard work, dedication and the
talent of projecting a media such as plastic into what many have described as: "Magic
Forms".