El Salvadoran Art

Jesse and I went to an art museum while we were in El Salvador for New Years. We were really happy and excited that there were museums there to get a little bit better insight into the culture of the region. Honduras doesn't really have anything to compare with it. As we walked towards the MARTE complex (Museum of Art), we saw this huge monument that was the Memorial of the Revolution. The MARTE complex looked like a building that one could find in Chicago or Milwaukee. The museum only showcased artwork that was either created in El Salvador, or was created by an El Salvadoran abroad. Needless to say, we were very excited to enter.

Inside the museum, the exhibit was divided into four different sections. Two sections were on El Salvadoran identity and history, and the other two were focused on fantasy and dreams- more modern in origin. Many paintings depicted traditional scenes like the one below.

This sculpture welcomed us as we entered. This was part of the fantasy or more modern art section.


The next two paintings were both painted during the Civil War in the 80's and early 90's. There were many paintings and sculptures created during that time. Most of the artwork openly displayed the feeling of pain and suffering that existed in the country at that time.


Overall, we really enjoyed our time spent at the art museum. We learned a lot about the country and as we were walking through, we really wished that more Central American countries had the infrastructure to have these types of complexes celebrating their heritage.