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Miguel Reynel from Birth to Present
Miguel Reynel was born in 1954 in Lima, Peru, and according to his own words, he was born with sculpture and drawing as parts of himself. His progression towards a career in sculpture has not been, however, straightforward; in fact, Miguel formally worked as a general surgeon for more than two decades, until he voluntarily quit medicine to undertake art as a profession in 1998.
In 1982, parallel to his medical career, Miguel started studying drawing and sculpture under the sculptress Margarita Checa; following her guidance he evolved steadily and almost uninterruptedly for more than nine years, learning all the basic elements of his art, as he makes it today: a very strong basis on drawing the human figure from nature, with emphasis on the structure of the body; skillful clay modeling, mastering armatures and molds of all kinds; and a long lasting devotion to the lost wax process for bronze casting.
Miguel Reynel's art is inimitable and, in many ways, singular. Although intensely figurative, it does not come directly from reality but from imagination and daydreaming. The primary, pristine perceptions universal to everyone –quietude, placidity, companionship– are central elements of his repertoire, evoking subtle moments of humanity and capturing simple seconds of life. In his sculpture there is no drama. Instead, balance and form, and a tinge of sensuality, are invariably perceptible.
A masters degree in Medical Illustration –a specialty to create drawings, digital visuals, animations, and 3D models for use in anatomical publications, medical projects and the Web– complemented Miguel's artistic skills (Medical College of Georgia, 1998-2000), allowing him to integrate his medical and artistic dexterities into a new profession, and the following years he worked both as a freelance medical illustrator and as a sculptor. Since 2005, however, Miguel Reynel is only –and entirely– devoted to bronze sculpture in his home studio in Tampa, Florida.
Several years have elapsed since Miguel left his country to settle in the United States. Despite all that time, the South American flavor of his art is still present in his bronzes, and probably will never fade away.
Biography written by Luis Armas Autero
- Lima, January 2008.
Artist Statement
In 1988 I made my first sculpture: the unique intensity of that experience is what I still look for –and find– whenever I make a new art piece. It took me years, though, to master the elusive technique of bronze.
In my journey from evoked image to solid bronze, I rely on my personal history… I strive to be honest to myself. My tools are simple: form is for me a determinant tool, as I think form is not shaped by physical resemblance but by the vividness of the memory; and a structure is imperative for a correct spatial orchestration of each element of the sculpture. Then, ironically, these mental, rational elements have to be excluded from my artwork, allowing just the essence to outlast.
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