Nicole Rafael has a history of art in her family. This young Peruvian artist has been influenced by many events and people in her life. We all of course are the culmination of our lives encounters, and our decisions, and Nicole is not any different in that respect. Yet, her life has been marked and she has not allowed opportunity to pass her by.
Paris meets Peru
Nicole Rapfael Cosar was born in Lima Peru where she lived until she moved to Chile at age 18 to attend University. She has a background in the creative arts that is part of her family history. Her mother acted on stage and Nicole can recall vague young memories of attending plays and seeing her mother perform on stage. Her Uncle too has been a force in her creative development, as he has helped and advised her in her career and life decisions. He too is a professional painter in Peru! Nicole told me, “I began painting at 8 years old. I was in a small school of "Bellas Artes". My first teacher names Marita, she was young and really good teacher, she taught me all about drawing, colors and composition.” Nicole was fortunate to have the support of her family and Uncle during her formative years.
Today Nicole is living in that city of the Impressionist, in Southern France, Montpellier. The crisp air now impacts her works which show a vibrancy of color that is steeped in the art history of her new-found home and in her native Peru. She has exhibited in ,Paris, Marseille, Montpellier, Vic Sur Cere, Nantes, Le Cres, and Tour. Her goals reflect her spirit and she dreams one day of showing her work in Florence, the cradle of Modern Art. Yet another dream of Nicole's is to return to her native Peru and exhibit her paintings here, because she has never shown her work in her home country!
At University she studied Architecture and Interior Design, and only started painting seriously when she moved to Europe. She has now lived in Montpellier for four years, and is developing a style based on her interests in anthropology and history. Nicole conveyed her sentiments to me, “I always had a preference with the symbols and complementary colors. I wanted to give a meaning to my paintings, to explain them and give them a value. I started to study anthropology pictorial and universal history. That's how I became interested in the symbols of all the tribes around the world. I started to research the meaning of images and forms and the meaning of the colors.”