Julio Parada Seifert: The painter whose vibrant work captures history and rural life

The vibrant colors that define Julio Parada Seifert's paintings are a direct reflection of his formative years spent in the rural landscapes of Corrientes, Argentina. His childhood journeys along sandy roads and the Santa Lucía River, often involving horse-drawn rafts, left an indelible mark on his artistic sensibility. Growing up surrounded by intensive farming operations, rice plantations, orange groves, forests, cotton, and tomato fields, exposed him to a rich tapestry of colors and textures, which he recognized early on as a potential way of life.

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I learned to paint by myself. As a child, I spent my time drawing. I never studied Fine Arts nor had a teacher; I learned through practice and many hours of work.

Seifert's early encounters with the agricultural world also provided a stark lesson in its volatility. He witnessed firsthand the collapse of a tomato cannery, an experience that underscored the precariousness of rural labor. This understanding of the land and its challenges became a foundational element in his artistic outlook. He taught himself to paint, spending countless hours drawing from a young age, honing his craft through sheer persistence rather than formal instruction.

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Many say that oil is much better, that it has greater intensity, but all the works generate the same question: ‘Do you paint with oil?’. And I say: ‘No, it looks like oil.’ It's a matter of being on top of it, on top and on top; and skill. The more time you spend, the better things turn out.

His artistic journey took a significant turn in 2008 amidst the intense conflict over Argentina's controversial "Resolution 125," which imposed mobile export taxes on agricultural products. This period of national tension and frustration prompted Seifert to make a decisive commitment to painting. He adopted a rigorous discipline, inspired by a book on master painters that emphasized the importance of daily practice, often dedicating eight to fourteen hours a day to his art.

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Well, now it's time to get serious about painting.

While life eventually led him to Buenos Aires, where he worked in advertising and assisted on his mother-in-law's farm, the pull of his native Corrientes remained strong. His artistic development, though lacking formal training, is characterized by an unwavering dedication to his craft. Seifert's technique, particularly his mastery of acrylics which often get mistaken for oils, is a testament to his relentless practice and deep connection to his origins.

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I have no art studies. The book brought together the greatest painters in history and they all agreed on the same thing: you had to paint four hours every day to loosen your hand and then try to reach eight. That's what I do, although many times I end up painting thirteen or fourteen hours a day.