Emma Reyes

Her work gained recognition after her death, in the 2020s. Reyes is known for her book The Book of Emma Reyes: una sega.

• Name — Emma Reyes • Born — 9 July 1919 • Birthplace — Bogotá, Colombia • Died — 12 July 2003 • Place of death — Ratti

Emma Reyes was born in 1919 in Bogotá. When she was about 6 or 7 years old, her mother abandoned her. Reyes and her sister were sent to a convent. While at the convent, Reyes was not allowed to socialize with the outside world. At age 19, Reyes was able to leave the convent. She got married and had a child. Her child was later killed during a home invasion. Reyes soon fled to Paris to begin here her life of painting. In 1943 she received a scholarship to study in Paris. Reyes died on July 12, 2003, at age 84.

Much of Reyes' artwork draws on her life and the obstacles that she faced living in poverty. Despite the cruelty Reyes experienced in her childhood, she still tried to send positive messages through her works by making colorful images associated with animals and plants. Reyes never received an education and was considered "illiterate." Nevertheless, she wrote letters and put them together as a book. She was mainly known for her writing rather than her paintings.

Many of Reyes' paintings were unnamed. Instead, they were distinguished by what they represented. Most of her early works was a representation of the life she had left behind. "Unknown (Goat)" Reyes utilized vibrant colors and painted mainly plants and animals. Her goal was to use vibrant colors in order to represent her personality. Her paintings such as this one, was done by color pencils and a board. The background of this painting is a pastel yellow with pastel green grass while there's a white cow drinking milk from a blue bucket. "Figurine" This painting portrays a human figure built from garbage that implies children's imagination, but is then destroyed by the evil in the world. "Burning Villages" In this painting, Reyes intended to show loneliness in a town that's corrupted surrounded by economy issues, cruelty, and abandonment. It represents the struggle Reyes and her sister faced. Most of Reyes' works are held in the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America. Her work is also preserved at the Museum of Art and Archeology of Périgord.