The Traveler (El Viaxeru)

(Oviedo, Spain)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2003/04/06/pWorld105.raw.html
Sunday, April 6, 2003 The Halifax Herald Limited

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eduardo Urculo

Fascination with female form, and hats, translated into vivid works of art

At the time of his death the Spanish painter and sculptor Eduardo Urculo was at the peak of his creative powers and winning the international acclaim that had eluded him for much of his career. The Queen of Spain opened his current exhibition in Beijing last month.

[....]

Thousands of tourists pause in the old quarter of Oviedo to gaze at a solitary male figure staring into the middle distance, leaning on a luggage trunk with suitcases around his feet. This is Urculo's The Return of Williams B. Arrensberg (1993), known in the local Asturian dialect as el viaxeru (the traveler). For Urculo, objects such as suitcases, coats, benches and - especially - hats were loaded with meaning about the human condition.

[....]

Urculo's later works reflected his fascination with city life, particularly New York. Aeroplanes and eventually geishas emerged as new motifs. His bronze sculptures became landmarks in several cities. Recently, he was rediscovering elements of cubism. This summer, he was due to receive Spain's highest artistic honour, the Gold Medal in Fine Arts, from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Urculo, who collapsed and died suddenly while lunching at Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, is survived by his wife, Victoria Hidalgo, and their son.

Eduardo Urculo, painter and sculptor, was born on September 21, 1938. He died on March 31, 2003, aged 64.

-The Times of London

Photograph Copyright © 2003-2016 Michael Fenichel