Abstract

The purpose of this study is to review the life and works of Carlos Sánchez, a Guatemalan born prolific painter and architect, whose masterpieces were exhibited at Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum of Art in Hanover, New Hampshire. His paintings have left an immeasurable legacy to the world of art. Born in Guatemala in 1898, he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1923, and then finished the Yale University School of Architecture in 1927, after having traveled extensively and enrolled in several universities in the US and abroad. After Yale, he worked as a junior draftsman for the well-known architectural firm, Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, in New York, that designed the Empire State Building. He then travelled to Mexico and worked with Diego Rivera. He subsequently, in 1931, became the first artist-in-residence and helped found the Studio Art Department at Dartmouth College. His artistic future seemed bright and promising but God had other plans for him. In his late 40’s, he felt the call for priesthood and was ordained as a Catholic priest at the age of 52. Although he initiated a new chapter of his life, he never left his strong commitment for art and beauty, because he was a “seeker of beauty” in the full sense of the word.

Key words: Carlos Sánchez, painting, beauty, abstract expressionist painting.