José Caraballo (painter)

Jose Caraballo (born 1930 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) moved to New York City behind his parents at the age of 14. In 1947 Jose studied graphics and sculpture in a Greenwich Village workshop. That same year he had the great fortune to meet the good Mexican performer Rufino Tamayo at the Rufino Tamayo Studio at the Brooklyn Museum of Art where Rufino Tamayo was teaching art. Jose Caraballo exhibited paintings in 1950 in Chicago. He after that exhibited at the Oller-Campeche-Gallery in Puerto Rico, Galleria II, Galleria Tito, Allen Rich Galleries, Duncan Galleries in Paris, France, and many extra Galleries throughout New York. Jose Caraballo moreover had exhibits at the Museum of the City of New York, Livingston College, Howard University in Washington, Cornell Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and El Museo del Barrio in NYC. Jose Caraballo has had extensive television coverage of his paintings and additional works of art.

In 1979, while President of the Hispanic Arte League (H.A.L), Jose Caraballo organized the 1st Latin American Art Biennial in NYC. For that exhibition Jose invited his friend Rufino Tamayo to attend as guest of honor. Rufino Tamayo was by subsequently the most famous living performer in Mexico appropriately it was a great honor for Jose Caraballo that Rufino Tamayo well-liked the invitation and came to NYC to spend a few weeks gone Jose Caraballo and his family. Rufino Tamayo helped inspire the works in stencil that Jose Caraballo would create after that visit. Jose Caraballo was one of the first artists to depict the activity and culture of the Taino Indians of Borinquen. Caraballo in addition to explored other aspects of Puerto Rican culture and artistic horizons, through his paintings, drawings, graphics, and tapestries. He was awarded "The Palma Julia de Burgos" Cultural award in 1978.

In 1978 Jose Caraballo was included in the well-known book "Painting and Sculpture of the Puerto Ricans" by Peter Bloch. This is allowance of what Peter Bloch wrote "It is Jose Caraballo who first made a specialty of Taino themes, in drawings, paintings, graphics and relieve work. When he had sufficiently explored Borinquen's pre-history in his art, he continued with further aspects of Puerto Rican culture and chronicles but then creates surrealist and semi-abstract put it on which is always ingenious and fascinating. In his paintings and drawings on Puerto Rican themes he cultivates a stylized realism. His horizons are wide; and he is one of the in take aim of fact eminent Puerto Rican artists". Peter Bloch also included 4 images of linocuts and pen and ink drawings by Jose Caraballo in this book.

Jose Caraballo died in Collegedale, Tennessee in 1992 at the age of 62. His work continues to be exhibited throughout the US.