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Fig 1 | Díaz Sosa, Carlos. “Luis Chacón, Grabador.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151349#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-435%2C801%2C2843%2C1591. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Díaz Sosa, Carlos. "Luis Chacón, Grabador." El Nacional (Caracas, Venezuela), February 13, 1966.

Fig. 2, 6-9 | “Chacón, Luis.” Chacón, Luis - WIKIHISTORIA DEL ARTE VENEZOLANO, http://vereda.ula.ve/wiki_artevenezolano/index.php/Chac%C3%B3n,_Luis#Fuentes.

The content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted.

Fig. 3 | Gómez Sicre, José. “The Planets: Series of Engravings.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1134580#?c=&m=&s=&cv=2&xywh=-1673%2C0%2C5895%2C3299. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Gómez Sicre, José. "The Planets: Series of engravings." In The Planets: Chacon of Venezuela. Washington, D.C.: Pan American Union, 1967

Fig. 4-5 | Rial, José Antonio. “Chacón Revive y Renueva Un Noble Arte : El Grabado.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151366#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-2906%2C0%2C9112%2C5100. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Rial, José Antonio. "Chacón revive y renueva un noble arte : el grabado." El Universal (Caracas, Venezuela), December 11, 1966, 5.

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ArtFacts. “Luis Chacón: Artist.” ArtFacts, https://artfacts.net/artist/luis-chacon/760431.

Calzadilla , Juan. “Forma Espacial.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1134993#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-628%2C0%2C4555%2C2549. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Calzadilla, Juan. "Forma espacial." In Luis Chacón: 30 grabados. Caracas, Venezuela: Museo de Bellas Artes, 1962.

Chacón, Luis. “Ya No Podemos Hacer Grabados Con El Criterio De Hace 5 Siglos : Luis Chacón.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151382#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-2906%2C0%2C9112%2C5100. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Chacón, Luis. "Ya no podemos hacer grabados con el criterio de hace 5 siglos : Luis Chacón." El Nacional (Caracas, Venezuela), July 29, 1967.

“Chacón, Luis.” MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona, https://www.macba.cat/en/art-artists/artists/a-z/chacon-luis.

Díaz Sosa, Carlos. “Luis Chacón, Grabador.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151349#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-435%2C801%2C2843%2C1591. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Díaz Sosa, Carlos. "Luis Chacón, Grabador." El Nacional (Caracas, Venezuela), February 13, 1966.

Díaz Sosa, Carlos. “Proposiciones Cinéticas En Los Grabados De Luis Chacón.” ICAA, http://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151397#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-412%2C1624%2C6560%2C3672. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Díaz Sosa, Carlos. "Proposiciones cinéticas en los grabados de Luis Chacón." El Nacional (Caracas, Venezuela), July 16, 1967.

González, Milagros. “Chacón : Hoy Abren Exposición.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151334#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-1673%2C0%2C5895%2C3299. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: La Esfera (Caracas, Venezuela). "Chacón: hoy abren exposición." July 12, 1965.

Gómez Sicre, José. “The Planets: Series of Engravings.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1134580#?c=&m=&s=&cv=2&xywh=-1673%2C0%2C5895%2C3299. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Gómez Sicre, José. "The Planets: Series of engravings." In The Planets: Chacon of Venezuela. Washington, D.C.: Pan American Union, 1967

“Luis Chacón | 8 Artworks at Auction | Mutualart.” MutualArt , MutualArt Services, Inc., https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Luis-Chacon/8CEB83CFB0436201.

“LUIS CHACÓN.” TuObraDeArte.com, TuObraDeArte.com, https://www.tuobradearte.com/presta17/index.php?id_category=170&controller=category&id_lang=1.

“New International Gravure Group.” Kunstnernes Hus, https://kunstnerneshus.no/en/program/exhibitions/new-international-gravure-group.

Maracaibo, Venezuela. “Chacón Luis.” Juan Carlos Maldonado Art Collection, 14 Nov. 2022, https://www.jcmac.art/artists/chacon-luis/.

Mayhall, Marguerite. "Modernistbut Not Exceptional: The Debate over Modern Art and NationalIdentity in 1950s Venezuela." Latin American Perspectives, vol.32, no. 2, 2005, pp. 124-46.JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30040280. Accessed 13. Dec. 2022.

Museo De Artes Gráficas "Luis Chacón", http://museodeartesgraficas.blogspot.com/.

Rial, José Antonio. “Chacón Revive y Renueva Un Noble Arte : El Grabado.” ICAA, https://icaa.mfah.org/s/en/item/1151366#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-2906%2C0%2C9112%2C5100. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Digitalized from: Rial, José Antonio. "Chacón revive y renueva un noble arte : el grabado." El Universal (Caracas, Venezuela), December 11, 1966, 5.

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Fig. 4 | "Estructuras Etereas" , "Metal Grafico" ,  1966

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Estructuras Etereas , Metal Grafico 1966

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Fig 6 | "Activation 41/50 Green" 1972. Technique: Lithography on paper. Dimensions: 65 cm x 57 cm.

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Fig 7 | "Activation 45/50 Yellow" 1972. Technique Lithography on paper. Dimensions: 65 cm x 57 cm

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Fig. 8 | "S-31" 1975. Technique: Lithography on paper. Dimensions: 67 cm x 52 cm

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Luis Chacón was born in the second largest city in Venezuela; Maracaibo, on the 2nd of November 1927. His mother was Lilia Josefina de Chacón, and his father was Eleazar Chacón Becerra.

Luis Chacón from a young age expressed an interest in drawing. When Chacón was around 11 years old, he attended the Artistic Circle of Maracaibo. However, his schooling was interrupted when in 1942, Chacón’s father persuaded him to join the Royal Netherlands Navy. He was only 15. Three years later, after WWII ended, Chacón went home and decided to formally study arts at the School of Plastic Arts. Here he was taught by Pedro Ángel González (1901-1981).

In 1947, Chacón decided to travel Europe in search of inspiration. He first went to Italy, then Barcelona, then Madrid where he studied briefly at the Academy of San Fernando, then travelled to Paris, and finally explored Rome before going back to Barcelona. Here, at the School of Fine Arts of San Jorge, Chacón studied art history and drawing techniques. Not long after, Chacón transfered to a neighboring school called  School of Arts and Crafts of La Lonja, wherein he studied sculpting and engraving.

After 4 years of studies, Chacón returned home to Maracaibo. He established his own workshop where he mostly worked on engraving metal. Over the years in his workshop, Chacón researched and experimented with new ways to produce graphics; He tried new tools, different metals, and different mark-making techniques. Chacón was interested in making unique graphic work; which can be seen in his series Poder, ficción, y máscara

By the late 60’s Chacón founded the Luis Chacón Museum of Graphic Arts in his hometown and was Director from 1967-1974, as well as Head of the Plastic Arts Department. But that was not all: Chacón was active in teaching in various institutes, was a part of the New International Gravure Group, was president of the AVAP from 1980-1982, and helped found the Municipal Museum of Graphic Arts of Maracaibo in 1976. He represented Venezuela in many Tri and Biennials (international art exhibitions), and in 1985 was appointed Commissioner for the development of the Plastic Arts within the educational system, as well as appointed the Commissioner of the Ministry of Culture.

At 82, Chacón passed away on July 25, 2009 in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Gone, but not forgotten, he would forever be known as a world-renowned artist; From 1950-2002, Chacón has had around 32 solo exhibitions and had received a dozen awards for his contributions to the Plastic Arts, most notably was awarded the title of Pioneer of engraving in Venezuela.

He was a dedicated student, wonderful teacher, author, engraver, sculptor, painter... the list goes on. He was certainly a man of all trades.

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Luis Chacón was instrumental in exploring and refining the ways of engraving. In his workshop Chacón would explore mark making from things like chemicals to different tools and metals. Eventually, he mixed the techniques of silkscreen and photoserigraphy with metal plates.

Chacón would often stack various sized plates on top of one another, and slowly "built up" from the wall, striking a balance between the 2D, 3D, and how light interacted and influenced his pieces.

Here we see a "structure" (instead of sculpture as Chacón liked to say) with few tones and a modern, semi-abstract, and (near) symmetrical shape.

The light markings on the metal is fluid and reminds one of  contour drawings. Its abstraction is hard to make out,
however, upon closer inspection  the scribbles have meaning in the chaos:

The two round figures adjacent to the purple squares resemble globes from the perspective of space, with what seem like explosions on the surface of the planet and shockwaves spilling from the atmosphere.
The grey mirror-like object contains a loosly-etched, bulbous marking that resembles a mushroom cloud following an explosion. This is not farfetched since Chacón served in the Navy, and likely saw more devastation in his lifetime than anyone should.

The planets taking damage are surrounded by a cacophony of scribbles, which could represent radio static, or pure chaos and dread he may have felt during his Service.

The claw-like structure is sharp and textured with protrusions. There is a ominous sense of movement, like missiles tracking down their target, screeching forward with excrusiating accuracy.  The form also resembles a stylized version of an anti-tank hedgehog.

As we move further up the structure, the scribbles grow less chaotic and more bubbly. Waves bounce off of bulbs and in turn send out smoother, uniformed waves into the sky. Their forms seem less earthy and more modern.

It seems like the cooler-toned metal pieces, which are featured on the top and bottom edges of the work resemble planets. They radiate calm energy, untainted by the carnage on Earth. The other planets have peace, but only becasue they are separate and different from us.

As a whole, the structure looks like a menacing monster, staring at us with its cold eyes and instigating with it's sharp tongue. I belive that the monster symbolically represents the giant, all-devouring beast that Chacón came to face during the War.

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In the 1920’s, a few years before Chacón was born, a French Architect named Le Corbusier influenced a modernized style on housing to develop in Caracas. 20 years later however, locals began to feel like it was a disservice in honoring the history and culture of their city. In the 1950’s Venezuela started a renovation effort to be truer to their national heritage, while also honoring their future; Venezuelans did not revert back to old aesthetics in a copy-and-paste manner but allowed for a fusion of new and old. Those who could afford it added decorations and features like heavy wood, ironwork and bold splashes of colour in and around their homes.

However, modernization and urbanization still ran rapid and citizens struggled heavily with their identity. This struggle was also seen in the visual art world.

Since the 1930’s there has been the Social Realist Movement in Venezuela that took inspiration from Mexican murals and Venezuelan pre-Columbian art; employing a Nationalistic approach. A competing movement was the modernized Geometric Abstraction Movement supported by the dictatorship of Perez Jimenez. Massive funding from his party is why this style of art was 'accepted' so quickly as Venezuela’s artistic style.

Within the Gallery of Luis Chacón’s work we can see the artist’s explorational efforts into both movements. "Figura" 1951-1955 is an illustration of a dark haired individual being torn into threes; struggling to find their true identity. Then, with "Activation 45/50 Yellow" 1972, we see a geometric and abstract composition that solely explores shapes, colour and light.