We would like to wish professor Alicea many more years of health and creative life today January 12 in his 97th birthday.
Happy Birthday Don José!
José R. Alicea is one of the most prominent graphic artists in Latin-America. In his works, Alicea combines a high social compromise and artistic sensibility with themes of Puerto Rican culture and literature.
As a dedicated and prolific printmaker he has given visual shape to many of the poems from authors including Julia de Burgos, Rafael Hernandez, Luis Lloréns Torres, Luis Palés Matos, Federico Garcia Lorca y Pablo Neruda.
Some of his most important works are related from his interest for the African roots, among them the portfolios "Baquiné" y "Canción de Baquiné" (song of Baquiné). These are prints in large format and in the mixed-media where he uses different techniques like xilography, zincography, textured etching, and embossing, with diverse materials like zinc, wood, cardboard and Plexiglas ®.
Since learning about handpapermaking he has continuously been looking for new fibers to produce new types of paper. He has close to sixty different types of native fibers or combination of these. He has developed the technique of creating artworks made of paper over paper, with a thickness measured in millimeters and which he named "Fused Paper".
Also, he has taught courses, seminars and conferences about paper in several Puerto Rican universities and in Dominican Republic. In addition, he worked as an art professor in the School of Fine Arts in San Juan for over 25 years.
It is the purpose of this website to inform and show the artworks and the techniques used by master Alicea in his career of over 60 years.
All images belong to the author and all rights are reserved.
As a dedicated and prolific printmaker he has given visual shape to many of the poems from authors including Julia de Burgos, Rafael Hernandez, Luis Lloréns Torres, Luis Palés Matos, Federico Garcia Lorca y Pablo Neruda.
Some of his most important works are related from his interest for the African roots, among them the portfolios "Baquiné" y "Canción de Baquiné" (song of Baquiné). These are prints in large format and in the mixed-media where he uses different techniques like xilography, zincography, textured etching, and embossing, with diverse materials like zinc, wood, cardboard and Plexiglas ®.
Since learning about handpapermaking he has continuously been looking for new fibers to produce new types of paper. He has close to sixty different types of native fibers or combination of these. He has developed the technique of creating artworks made of paper over paper, with a thickness measured in millimeters and which he named "Fused Paper".
Also, he has taught courses, seminars and conferences about paper in several Puerto Rican universities and in Dominican Republic. In addition, he worked as an art professor in the School of Fine Arts in San Juan for over 25 years.
It is the purpose of this website to inform and show the artworks and the techniques used by master Alicea in his career of over 60 years.
All images belong to the author and all rights are reserved.
