Jaime Zapata, painting to understand life

In an old pasta factory in San Marcos, now transformed into his home, studio and museum, Jaime Zapata walks among paintings, sketches and memories of a city that continues to appear throughout his work. Located in the heart of Quito’s Historic Center, the space brings together part of his artistic production and also serves as an extension of his own story.

From there, he speaks about Chimbacalle, the churches he visited with his grandmother, popular festivities and a Quito that continues to live in his memory. That connection with the city began long before he knew he would become a painter. Zapata remembers a free childhood shaped by play, curiosity and neighborhood life, closely tied to traditions such as the burning of años viejos, Carnival and Quito’s festivities. He grew up in a middle-class family, far from a specialized artistic environment, but from a young age he observed figures such as Diógenes Paredes, Camilo Egas and Oswaldo Guayasamín.

Leaving to learn

Before settling in Europe, Zapata traveled through different countries in search of experiences that would broaden his training. He spent time in Chile, Mexico, Spain and the United States. His intention was to study academic painting and find spaces where he could deepen his understanding of the human figure and the traditional techniques that interested him.

France was not planned as a permanent destination. He arrived after being invited for just fifteen days and ended up building a large part of his life there. He stayed to visit museums, learn the language and discover a reality different from his own. What began as a short trip eventually became nearly four decades of connection with the European country.

“We are very fragile, and we only have a certain amount of time to live and do things.”

One of the most decisive episodes of his life happened much earlier. At the age of 15, a family tragedy confronted him abruptly with death and the fragility of life. From then on, his attention began to focus on observing human beings, their emotions, their bodies, their pain and their transformations.

The human figure

This perspective helps explain why the human figure occupies such a central place in his work and also accounts for the constant presence of women. His first models were found at home: he drew his grandmother, then his mother, his wife and other people close to him.

It was not a calculated decision intended to build an artistic identity, but something that emerged naturally until it became a recognizable characteristic of his work. For Zapata, observing others also means looking at himself. The body does not appear simply as a technical exercise, but as a tool for speaking about universal experiences such as vulnerability, affection, loss, the passage of time and the need to understand those around us.

Remaining curious

Throughout his career, he chose to remain connected to drawing, oil painting and figurative art even as new languages and trends emerged within the art world. For him, that continuity does not mean rejecting transformation. It comes from a conviction: the fundamental forms of art continue to exist because they respond to a cultural and human need that does not disappear with trends.

That fidelity also explains why his home, studio and museum holds such special meaning. It is not simply a place where works are produced, but a space where his career, references, daily life and a way of understanding his craft that he has sustained for decades all coexist.

“For me, making art means continuing not to take life too seriously, but trying to be happy.”

Something of the child from Chimbacalle still remains intact. Zapata remembers spending much of his childhood playing, exploring and seeking new experiences. Today, he recognizes that same curiosity in his interest in politics, history, countries, cultures and people. Painting continues to be, for him, a way of playing and discovering.

In his old factory in San Marcos, now transformed into a home, studio and museum, Jaime Zapata continues doing what that curious child from Chimbacalle once did: observing, discovering and finding new reasons to keep creating.