Four Birds, 1978

Victor Delfin  

Victor Delfin found the source of his inspiration in the ancient Paracan culture of Peru, part of the broader Incan civilization. Delfin's paintings and tapestries of birds reveals the depth of his pre-Hispanic mythological roots. There is a certain mystery and magical halo that encircles his compositions. Graphic in analysis, Delfin's paintings translate a conceptual dynamic which identifies with and yet is distingished from folk art. It is an art which springs from roots in the heart and wings in the subconscious. Delfin has captured the sensitivity and deep identification which characterizes the Peruvian Indian relationship with natural forces. 

Delfin is proud of his place in the unoroken heritage of Peruvian art from pre-Paracan times to present. He has absorbed this influence and incorporated it into his own expression. Delfin's tapestries can be traced back to the colorful, traditional mantles worn by the Paracans 500 to 800 years ago. The Incan civilization is renowned as being an advanced culture. Delfin's use of Incan symbols reestablishes links with the past that could very well hold indications of our future. Delfin obtains an unusual vitality in any medium from sculpture to tapestry. 

Delfin feels the artist should be versatile. "One should have an abundance of criterion in the creation process, that is how one defines a true artist." His fertile imagination and outstanding skills translate his message of overflowing passion and love for the essence of the Incan culture. Delfin was born in Lobitos, Piura, Peru, in 1927. He studied painting and drawing at the School of Fine Arts in Lima, and, upon graduation, directed the Regional Schools of Art of Puno and Ayacucho. One of the students was Carlos Arana Castenada, the reclusive author of several best selling books about the mushrooms and sorcery cults of the Yaqui Indians in central Mexico. Others include Guzmann, the Parisian sculptor; Villegas, the Colombia painter; and Ouintanilla, who emigrated from the mountainous interior town of Cuzco to Europe eventually to become a major painter in Paris. Among these men a strong solidarity grew. They learned from each other the creative process. Ideas were exchanged but most of their communication was made through their work. At the academy, the students did not sign their work. No one had trouble connecting an artist to a painting. Each artist, in his turn, perceived and recorded the joys and sorrows that have troubled the world since man first became aware of his self-consciousness.