Studied
art and architecture at the Bellas Artes School, Montevideo.
Before
turning to automotive subjects, De la Maria gained experience
in other fields of art. At 18 he illustrated politics and sporting
events for a leading Uruguayan newspaper. He held an exhibit
of equestrian paintings in the city of Punta del Este, his studies
of polo becoming well-known in Uruguay. And his paintings of
naval and aviation subjects were also much in demand.
At
21 Alfredo left for Europe, where he settled in Paris for three
years. While there he was inspired by classical works of European
fine artists like France’s Claude Monet (1840-1926) and
Spain’s Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923).
Returning
to South America, he accepted a position with an important publishing
company in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. He created
illustrations for the covers of major Argentinean magazines,
including Automundo, Parabrisas, El Tony and D’Artagnan.
During
this time he became totally involved with automotive art, and
in 1989 made the first of many exhibits at the Buenos Aires
Classic Cars Club. Painting in oil, watercolor, tempera and
pastel, De la Maria developed his distinctive style that falls
between realism and impressionism. As a viewer, you can feel
the emotion and enthusiasm he puts into every painting.
His
use of oils combined with his impressionist style brings comparisons
with legends of automotive art such as F.Gordon Crosby and Walter
Gotschke.
