An artist whose style evolved around respecting his subjects’ proportions
“The one thing that has remained constant throughout my work is the importance of my subject’s gaze. For me, the eyes truly are the window into the soul,” says Gerardo.
Born in Venezuela in 1971, Gerardo Labarca began painting and drawing people close and important to him from his early childhood.
“This was only a hobby, yet my family was constantly impressed and surprised by how closely I captured my subject’s resemblance. This need to express myself artistically stayed with me throughout my adult life,” says Gerardo.
In 1993, at 21, Gerardo Labarca immigrated to Montreal alone to begin his first great adventure in life. To support himself financially, he began working in restaurants, at the bottom, washing dishes. As he learned his way in society, he slowly moved his way up from one position to another, working hard over the years until, eventually, he was running a 5-star restaurant.
“25 years of my life were spent dedicated to mastering the restaurant industry in Montreal – a difficult, unforgiving industry. Understandably, I didn’t have much time to paint,” reminisces Gerardo.
Gerardo recollects that leaving his business was the hardest decision he has ever taken. As a restauranter, his need to artistically express himself was satiated. As the creative director and owner of the Mezcia, named one of the best restaurants in Canada, he knew that his artistic side still lives in him. He realized that he had chosen this path due to necessity rather than passion.
“During the last year that I had Mezcia, I hung up a painting I made specifically for the dining room. This painting attracted a lot of attention, leading to many clients offering to acquire it, each client was surprised that the artist was the owner of the restaurant. It was at this point that I started to consider painting professionally. But knowing myself, knowing that I don’t take half-measures, I knew I couldn’t do both. I need to throw myself in 100%, so I took a huge risk and embarked on another great challenge, another adventure.” says Gerardo.
Gerardo Labarca’s first painting as a full-time artist was a portrait of Charlie Chaplin. As someone who considered Chaplin a true genius and his all-time inspiration, Gerardo knew that this painting would define the type of artist he wished to become.
“I used this work as a testing ground for ideas that had been trapped inside me all these years. I applied layer after layer after layer, almost subconsciously, trying to capture what this mythical person meant to me. To this day, this work remains in my private collection, a reminder of my humble beginnings.”
Today, he mainly works with acrylics but has a flexible approach to using different mediums to achieve the depth and texture he desires. As an artist, his style evolved around respecting his subjects’ proportions. From larger to smaller and more independent brushstrokes, he began to introduce more complex sources of details around his subject.
“The one thing that has remained constant throughout my work is the importance of my subject’s gaze. For me, the eyes truly are the window into the soul. I search for subjects that speak through their eyes and dedicate countless hours trying to capture what they communicate. The details I add are my projection and interpretation of what I imagine they are feeling. I immerse myself entirely in my subject when I paint them, listen to their music, read about their life, looking at their art. It is only then that I can fully be satisfied with my work.”
Using social media as an invaluable tool to share this work, Gerardo worked hard to define his place in the artistic community.
“Art has been democratized and is accessible to everyone,” concludes Gerardo. “I think artists have a responsibility to share their unique vision and point of view in a time that desperately needs it. I hope my art and career continue to grow steadily so that I can maintain this lifestyle that I finally chose, settled in the countryside, surrounded by nature and tranquillity after the constant drone of the restaurant business – to continue painting, learning new techniques, new ways to transmit my feelings through my portraits.”
“The details I add are my projection and interpretation of what I imagine they are feeling,” says Gerardo Labarca.
