Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Fernando Llort, El Salvador's National Artist

It is a rarity when one artist's creations can reflect the spirit of an entire country. Legendary Salvadoran artist Fernando Llort's paintings are considered to be so reflective of his native country that he is known as  "El Salvador's National Artist."

Fernando Llort was born on April 7, 1949 in San Salvador to Baltasar Llort and Victoria Choussy, according to Ella House.com. Llort's natural curiosity led him to pursue multiple areas of study. Llort studied architecture at the University of El Salvador, and later went to France to study philosophy. After France, he relocated to Belgium to study theology. 

While in Europe, Llort was able to ponder his Salvadoran roots and actualize his cultural identity through his nascent artwork. After ending his studies in Europe, he decided to move to Louisiana to study art in depth. 

When Llort finally returned to El Salvador, he saw the burgeoning political and social changes that eventually led to El Salvador's civil war, which lasted from 1979-1992. To escape the instability, he found solace in the mountains of La Palma, located in northern El Salvador. While in La Palma, Llort opened a shop called "La Semilla de Dios," meaning the god's seed. In the shop, he taught locals to create vibrant paintings, using images that symbolized El Salvador. While in La Palma, Llort continued to develop his unique style. He would eventually open the Center for Integral Development, an art school for individuals who want to learn about art. 

In the early 1980s, he moved back to San Salvador, where he opened a shop called "El Arbol de Dios," meaning god's tree, to display his paintings and pottery. Llort's paintings are usually characterized by bright reds, blues, yellows and oranges, which color a melange of different scenes that are depicted in geometric shapes. The scenes are often two-dimensional in perspective, lying flat against the picture plane. The paintings often illustrate religious scenes, crops, animals, people and other images that are reflective of El Salvador. The distinctly Salvadoran feel to his paintings and sculptures earned him the spot of the unofficial national artist of El Salvador, as well as prodigious international recognition. 

Llort still goes back to La Palma to instruct people on new designs and ideas. The people of La Palma follow in his footsteps and design wooden crafts. 

Llort has had over 16 exhibitions of his work all over the world, and his paintings are housed permanently in places such as The Museum of the White House in the U.S., The Vatican in Rome and the United Nations Building in New York. Many of his paintings are also owned by private collectors such as Don Juan Carlos, the King of Spain. 

Llort is married to Estela Chacón de Llort and has three children: Juan Pablo, María José and Ángel Fernando. Although he now suffers from Parkinson's disease, he still makes public appearances and continues to retain his title as the artist that was able to capture the spirit of El Salvador.