Artist Mariú Súarez in front of her painting Separated Realities, Diptych, 58"x57" each panel, oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series HomoSpiritus Catalogue of Mariu's Work Available for Sale (PDF)

Mariu Suarez, a native of Colombia, South America, has dedicated herself to her art since 1968. She has had solo and group shows in Colombia, Germany, Paris, Venezuela and throughout the United States, including New York.

Mariu covers her canvases with a strongly structured vision of the Universe, a vision that is modern, religiously eclectic and distinctly personal. Commencing with her 1972 series, Return to Paradise, she has focused on finding the path for mankind's growth towards true humanity. To Mariu, we are living in the age of the psychological revolution. Humankind must turn inward to understand its mind. The tiny figures of that series of paintings suggested the finiteness our consciousness freeing itself from an ancient chaos created by subconsciousness. A consciousness that was hungry for knowledge, seeking it in all aspects of the world around it. At the same time, these little figures illustrated the humility we must attain if we are to find the knowledge we seek: A recognition that our individual egos are tiny in comparison with the whole of the universe. By recognizing ourselves as these tiny figures, we can better see that we are but one unconscious spark amongst the dazzling light of Spirit.

"I consider Veristic Surrealism a way of life based on the desire for inner exploration. My canvases start as an image which appears on the screen of my mind demanding to be represented and analyzed. Beyond their aesthetic form, they hold for me keys that beckon my soul to find a deeper meaning in the reality of SELF. I do not consider my paintings creations, but breakthroughs from the realm of TRUTH into my personal consciousness."

Out of this knowledge evolves the next step in our evolution towards becoming truly human, portrayed in her next series, The Beginning of a New Era. Here it was clear that we must be directed by a supraconsciousness that can help us banish negative thoughts, erase ignorance and triumph over the supreme feeling of all religions...Love. The bold, nude figures that populate this series represent the shedding of all the lies we believe about ourselves, lies that make us believe we are separate from our fellow beings. Only after clearing away all the lies will we be able to see what we truly are: One with Spirit.

By the same token, this series also shows the consequences of those lies: the violence, greed and hatred that result form believing ourselves to be separate and alone. But even her most violent visions of war, greed and agony, show us the supraconsciousness that is always right beneath the surface, ready to be uncovered.

Mariu's latest series, HomoSpiritus, explores the next phase towards human evolution: the angel appears as the real actor behind the façade of flesh, intellect and feeling. The real essence of mankind emerges before our eyes.

There is a stunning unity to Mariu's work, as diverse as it has been throughout the years, because there is a unity to her vision. It is at once seemingly utopic and yet terrifyingly imperative if humankind is to survive.

Mariu's Technique

Mariu employs the significantly time consuming technique favored by renaissance painters: Oil and egg-tempera. This technique allows her to create more atmosphere, to suggest the depth of air as the eye floats through additional tonal planes.

Mariu starts with a canvas she has painted brown with egg-tempera. She then proceeds to bring out light (instead of shadow as other techniques do). This creates that glowing inner luminosity that radiates out toward the viewer (see a work in progress).

Above all, this technique is truly a metaphor for her message, for behind all her canvases is the heralding of the new conscience; a higher, more just, more loving consciousness, which Mariu perceives as inevitably arriving in our troubled world. The luminescent light of hope bursts through all her paintings.

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Below are examples of Mariu's work throughout the years. Click on an image to see a larger photo of that painting.

	Dedication, 72"x60", oil and egg-tempera on canvas (work in progress), from the series HomoSpiritus
	Zenith, 72"x36", oil and egg-tempera on canvas (work in progress), from the series HomoSpiritus
	The Task of Reversal, 60"x72", oil and egg-tempera on canvas (work in progress), from the series HomoSpiritus
	The Task of Reversal, 60"x72", oil and egg-tempera on canvas (finished work), from the series HomoSpiritus
	The Knower of Truth, Triptych, each panel 30"x36", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series HomoSpiritus
	Alpha and Omega, Triptych, each panel 28"x30", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series HomoSpiritus
	Mother of Light, 60"x46", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era
	Imperishable Life, 60"x72", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era
	Truth, 72"x60", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era
	Agony and New Life, 46"x70", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era
	Infinite, 58"x58", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era
	Transformation, 78"x60", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era
	Ascension, 72"x60", oil and egg-tempera on canvas, from the series The Beginning of a New Era     Buy a Print of this Painting
	Union of the Temporal and Eternal, 52"x40", acrylic, from the series The Beginning of a New Era, late 70's
	From the series Return to Paradise, early 70's, acrylic
	From the series Return to Paradise, early 70's, acrylic
	From the series Mirror Image, late 60's, acrylic
	Solo Exhibit
All images © Copyright by Mariu Suarez, all rights reserved.