"Vintage Giclee print on canvas of “Oceanide” by Homero Aguilar. Marked BH6 – 3/82 and signed on reverse. Born in Pasto, Colombia in 1953, Homero Aguilar received his art training in Cali. When this young painter was 25, he left his homeland to live and work in Paris. With no money or personal connections, Aguilar immediately began painting in order to support himself. His talent was quickly recognized, and he was accepted into more and more prestigious exhibitions throughout France. In 1980, Homero Aguilar began exhibiting in Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Italy, Venezuela and the United States. His work was also an important part of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Bogota entitled ""Nuevas Figuras."" Over the years, Aguilar received many awards such as the coveted Medallion of the City of Paris in 1987, as well as the First Prize in the Symbolic Surrealism Competition. In the beginning of Aguilar's art, there were ""paintings within paintings"" with references to classical masters. Images of works by daVinci, Titian and Manet appeared in Aguilar's series of imaginary museum-apartments with their alluring emptiness. Soon mirrored reflections began to emerge. Like Van Eyck in ""The Couple Arnolfini"" and Velasquez in ""Las Meninas,"" Aguilar began creating magically-complex compositions. However, Aguilar uses no props or live models in his paintings. He waits for an inspiration, a vision to appear, and then he proceeds to paint until it is complete.