CESar santander

Spanish, b. 1947

Cesar Santander received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Pratt Institute in New York. He was a full-time teacher for ten years in New York City and Miami, Florida. He has been painting full-time since 1980. Since 1978, he has been using the airbrush in his work. The still-life is his area of interest. Cesar first painted fruit, utensils and cups. Later he painted antique tin boxes and this led to painting tin toys. He has been painting and exploring toy subject matter since 1982. His paintings are considered some of the finest in the hyperrealist category.

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Artist Statement

“I first began taking photos of nostalgic antiques and childhood objects to use as references for my paintings after being influenced by pictorial magazines and the first generation of photorealist painters. During my career, I have explored numerous series of images; each painting leads to a new idea, and some ideas are so different that they lead to a totally new series.

Photos continue to be the most important element in my work, and serve as a constant source of inspiration throughout my painting process. My paintings usually take four to twelve weeks as I refine the photographic information in many ways to create a work of art that is far subtler, richer, and more personal than the photo could be. My goal is to make the most detailed and beautiful paintings of the subjects I choose.”