The master artist of El Salvador, Benjamín Cañas, has an enthusiastic following for his exquisitely drawn figures and velvety backgrounds. Cañas was born in 1933. His works have been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the world including those held at the Janus Gallery in Washington D.C. in 1980 and the Valanti Gallery of San José Costa Rica in 1999.
During his lifetime Cañas worked as an internationally renowned architect as well as an artist. The influence of his architectural skill can be seen throughout his works, particularly in his depictions of uniquely original churches. Well-known for his sculptures and striking pyroengraved abstract paintings on wood panels, Cañas has also become famous for the vibrant surrealist oil paintings and passionate mixed media works of his later period.
Autorretrato de un Afan (1986), produced only a year before his death, is a beautiful example of his Neo-Humanist Neo-Figurative Period and features the same inherently socially conscious subject matter found throughout his works. The artist passed away in Virginia in 1987, his wife and son are currently putting together a catalogue raissone of the artist's painting, in which Autorretrao de un Afan will be included.