Souto Among 16 Artists Creating Healing Art For Cancer Center

Francisco Souto's Poetics of Recognition #7 will
be in the style of these drawings - all emphasizing
the inspiring geography of the Great Plains.

With careful certainty, Francisco Souto is creating special artwork for the April Sampson Cancer Center.

It's taken only about a year to finish Poetics of Recognition #7, although its theme was decades in the making.

“This will showcase a sensorial awareness,” he says. “Specifically, it’s centered around visual recognition inspired by living in the heart of the Great Plains. The artwork aims to serve as a direct visual interpretation of how we’re influenced by the expansive geography surrounding us. This concept will encapsulate the essence of the Great Plains, offering viewers a unique, intimate and contemplative experience.”

Professor Souto is a Venezuelan-born American artist known for his highly detailed drawings and prints. He’s been on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty for more than 20 years, and this internationally acclaimed artist directs UNL’s School of Art, Art History and Design.

He points out, “The delicate process of creating this piece involved a slow and deliberate approach, mirroring the ever present feeling of the vast landscape. Over the years I’ve lived here, the pristine emptiness of the sky and the vastness of the prairie became irresistible, haunting images.

“I wanted to capture the sublime beauty found in the everyday, transforming my personal experiences into a compelling testament of a life well lived.”

Final dimensions will be two-foot tall by six feet wide. Souto used graphite pencils for the main drawing, then colored the drawing and frame using an airbrush and stencils.

Professor Souto holds a prototype of the frame
he created for Poetics of Recognition #7.

“The delicate process of making art does take time,” he says. “There’s an inherent power to the process and a symbiotic correlation between the act of making and the intimacy in the act of looking. This drawing and its vivid color scheme attempt to offer a collective experience of perseverance and optimism.”

The Bryan Art Committee chose Souto and 15 other painters, sculptors and photographers to enliven the new 140,000-square-foot facility. Committee members identified pieces they believe will complement and enhance the curative work being done throughout the cancer center.

In addition to Souto’s artwork, the committee selected works from these artists to be displayed inside the cancer center: Anne Burkholder, Trish Coates, Robert Hillstead, Michael James, Erika Navarrete, Gib Neal, Mike Nesbit, Thomas Prinz, Tom Quest, Joel Sartore, Lance Smith and Lori Thomas. Art by Cliff Hollestelle, Jun Kaneko and Therman Statom will be displayed outside.

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