Olga Blinder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olga Blinder
Born	21 December 1921 Asunción, Paraguay
Died	19 July 2008 (age 87)
Nationality	Paraguayan
Known for	Painting, engraving, woodcuts, sculpture
Spouse(s)	Dr. Isaac Schvartzman

Olga Blinder (born 1921 in Asunción, Paraguay – died 2008) was a famous Paraguayan artist. She was a talented painter, engraver, and sculptor. Olga grew up in a Jewish family in Asunción. She lived through many important historical events. These included the Chaco War, World War II, and the 1947 Paraguayan Civil War. She also saw Paraguay's big political changes in 1954 and 1989.

Olga Blinder was also a licensed teacher. She taught art and creative education for over 30 years. She wrote many books and articles about art and teaching. She led the Escolinha de Arte of Paraguay and the Instituto de Arte (ISA). This institute is part of the National University of Asunción. She also helped the Ministry of Education create textbooks. Olga Blinder received awards from the League of Women's Rights and the Brazilian government. She also got the Integración Latinoamericana award from Argentina. Many people see her as a key artist who brought new ideas to Paraguayan art in the 1950s.

About Olga Blinder's Life

Olga Blinder was born in Asunción, Paraguay. Her family was Jewish. When she was a child, her father really supported her love for art. He let her draw and enrolled her in art classes. Olga lived during a time of many political changes and problems. These events greatly shaped how she saw the world and society. At university, she studied engineering and teaching at the Paraguay Atheneum. In 1943, Olga married Dr. Isaac Schvartzman. They had three children: Silvia Susana, Carlos Eduardo, and Jorge Bernardo.

Her Education and Teaching

Olga studied engineering at the Paraguay Atheneum from 1939 to 1943. She also earned a degree in teaching. In 1948, she took a painting course at the Paraguayan University. Besides making art, she became a licensed professor. She taught creative education and art for three decades.

Olga Blinder's Art Career

Olga Blinder learned painting from João Rossi and Ofelia Echagüe Vera. Her first art show was in 1950 at El Ateneo Paraguayo. Another show followed in 1952 at the Paraguayan-American Cultural Center.

The New Art Group

Some of her most important work came from a group she started in 1954. This group was called Grupo Arte Nuevo (New Art Group). She formed it with artists like Josefina Plá, Lilí del Mónico, and José Laterza Parodi. This group was special because they moved away from the old style of art. Art in the 19th century often tried to look exactly like real life. Instead, they turned towards expressionism. This style focuses on showing feelings and ideas rather than just reality. Their main themes were humanity and society. The group's art looked different from each other. But it often showed abstract shapes, styled figures, and social realism.

Modern Art and Social Messages

Olga worked with the Brazilian artist Livio Abramo. She became very skilled at making woodcut prints. This is an art form where you carve an image into wood. Olga was known for bringing big changes to the art world in Paraguay. She was very important in bringing modern art to Paraguay in the 1950s and 1960s. Her art often used social realism. This means her art showed real-life problems in society. Her style was very expressive. It showed rough and strong images, often with people as the main subject.

A key part of Olga's art was showing women. She often painted or carved women from rural areas and indigenous groups. They were usually shown doing everyday tasks like working or caring for others.

Art as Resistance

Paraguay was ruled by General Alfredo Stroessner for 35 years. This dictatorship lasted from 1954 to 1989. This time greatly inspired Olga's artwork. She wanted to speak out against human rights abuses. She also wanted to show the difficulties ordinary people faced.

In the 1960s, Olga used simple, strong body shapes in her woodcut images. By the 1970s, she worked a lot with print media. She made many intense engravings. In the 1980s, she returned to expressionism in her paintings. Her work became more personal. But it still showed themes of human nature and hardship.

Throughout her life, Olga showed her art in many countries. These included Holland, Venezuela, Argentina, and the United States. Her art was often a way to resist harsh political rulers. It became a form of protest against governments that made people afraid. Her artworks also recorded difficult events that official records did not show.

Famous Artworks

Pareja Triste (Sad Couple), 1957

One of her most famous paintings is Pareja Triste. She made this oil painting on burlap in 1957. It shows two people. Their faces look very similar and sad. Their eyes look down, and their mouths frown. The people seem to share a deep sadness. Their bodies overlap, and the painting uses dark colors. Dark blue and brown colors create a serious mood. The lines between the man and woman's bodies are so mixed. It is hard to tell who is who. This painting is said to show a shared feeling of sadness.

Miedo (Fear), 1959

A well-known wood engraving by Olga is Miedo. She created it in 1959. In this woodcut, a mother figure seems to be holding two children. She is protecting them from something outside. Olga might be showing the hard life of working-class people. She also might be showing the difficulties children would face later in life.

Lavandera (Washerwoman), 1961

Another example of her woodcut art is Lavandera. She finished it in 1961. In this artwork, a woman is shown working hard. She is scrubbing clothes against a washboard. The sharp angles of the woman's body and shapes in the piece show the tough nature of daily life for a worker. This piece was influenced by the German expressionist, Lívio Abramo. She worked with him when she created Lavandera.

Madre (Mother), 1963

Also in 1963, Olga Blinder made a woodcut on tissue paper called Madre. Fellow artist Livio Abramo said Olga's work was "deeply concerned with the human condition." He especially noted her focus on human sadness. The shape of the wood block is uneven. It follows the woman's sloping shoulder and covered head. There is strong tension in the child's outstretched hand. The child seems to hold onto the woman for support. This shows the strong bond of support and love between them. This piece is said to represent the money problems and poverty many families faced during Stroessner's dictatorship.

Inútil Espera (Useless Wait), 1968

In her piece Inútil Espera, made in 1968, Olga uses the female body. She connects general female experiences with the specific situation of Paraguayan women. This includes waiting for loved ones who were forced to leave the country. It also refers to waiting for political change. In this piece, she also shows the difficulties ordinary people faced during Stroessner's dictatorship.

Exhibitions

INDIVIDUAL SHOWS:

• Asunción, 1952
• Asunción, 1956
• Asunción, 1959 (a look back at her work)
• Asunción, Brazilian Cultural Mission, 1972
• Rosario, 1959
• Buenos Aires, 1962
• Rosario, 1966
• Madrid, 1969

GROUP SHOWS:

• Asunción, 1951
• Asunción (First Women's Art Show) 1952
• Asunción (Second Women's Art Show) 1953
• San Pablo (Biennales - big art shows held every two years) 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963
• Asunción (First Week of Modern Art) 1954
• Buenos Aires (first joint show of Paraguayan art since 1934) 1954
• Asunción (Art fairs) 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
• Tokyo (engraved Biennial) 1962
• Santiago (engraved Biennial) 1964
• Córdoba (II Hispano-American Biennial) 1964
• Buenos Aires (engraving, joint show) 1964
• Buenos Aires (jointly with Colombino) 1965
• Buenos Aires (jointly with Colombino and Josefina Plá) 1966
• Biennial of Coltejer, Medellín, Colombia, 1970
• Exhibition of Color Prints, New Jersey, United States, 1970
• II Biennial International Engravings of Buenos Aires, 1970
• Carpí (Italy) Exp. Of Contemporary Woodcut, 1972.

Art Collections

Olga Blinder's art can be found in these collections:

• Escala: Essex Collection of Art From Latin America
• Museo Paraguayo de Arte Contemporáneo (Paraguayan Museum of Contemporary Art)
• Museo de Arte Indígena (Museum of Indigenous Art)
• Museum of Ceramics and Fine Arts Julian de La Herreria

Honors and Awards

• Plaqueta de Oro, Municipality of Córdoba: II Hispano-American Biennial 1964
• Decoration of the Order of the Baron of Rio Branco, Brazil, 1973
• Integración Latinoamericana Award

See also

In Spanish: Olga Blinder para niños