Biography
Alejandro Xul Solar, born Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari in San Fernando, Buenos Aires, is one of the most unique Argentine artists of the 20th century. Born into a cosmopolitan family—his father, Elmo Schulz Riga, was of Latvian descent, and his mother, Agustina Solari, was Italian—he grew up in an environment conducive to cultural and intellectual diversity. From childhood, he was interested in music , painting, and languages, studying the violin and piano, and beginning architecture studies, which he abandoned after two years to devote himself fully to art.
In 1912, Xul Solar left for Europe, where he stayed in Italy, France, Germany and England until 1924. This period was decisive for his artistic training: he discovered Cubism , Futurism, Expressionism and Surrealism , and developed a unique pictorial style, characterized by small-format watercolors in bright colors, populated with esoteric symbols, geometric figures and mystical motifs. He adopted the pseudonym "Xul Solar", a play on words meaning "sunlight" in Latin, and signed his works thus.
Returning to Buenos Aires in 1924, Xul Solar joined the avant-garde group "Florida," also known as the "Martín Fierro" group, alongside Jorge Luis Borges, Norah Borges, and Emilio Pettoruti. He illustrated the magazine Martín Fierro from 1924 to 1927 and exhibited regularly in Buenos Aires galleries. His first solo exhibition took place in 1929 at the Amigos del Arte gallery, where he presented 62 works.
A polymath, Xul Solar was also interested in linguistics, astrology, Eastern philosophy, and religion. He invented two languages: "neo-creole" (a poetic fusion of Portuguese and Spanish) and "pan-lingua," a universal language based on geometry , music, astrology, and visual arts. He also designed an original chess game, "pan-juego," and a personal tarot card.
In 1939, he founded the "Pan Klub," an intellectual circle of artists, writers, and thinkers. His Buenos Aires home, located at 1214 Laprida Street, became a meeting place and was converted into a museum after his death. The Xul Solar Museum, inaugurated in 1993, preserves a large part of his work and personal archives.
Xul Solar died on April 9, 1963, in Tigre, Argentina. At his funeral, Jorge Luis Borges delivered a speech in his honor. A retrospective of his work was held in 1963 at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires.
His work continues to influence Latin American art and is regularly exhibited in museums and galleries around the world.
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