Eugenio Cohaila

Eugenio Cohaila finds endless inspiration in the energy of sprawling cities. Born near Tacna, Peru on a modest farm, he showed artistic talent from an early age, with teachers asking him to draw scenes during class field trips. Though his father wanted him to work the family farm, his mother recognized his passion and sent him to secondary school in Tacna at age seven, where he lived with his older sister while their mother visited weekly. In high school, he won an art competition a year before graduating, and his aunts encouraged him to pursue art professionally.
Eugenio studied at the Beaux-Arts Superior School of Tacna, graduating with the second-highest grade in his class after five years. He later worked as an assistant making drawings for oil reproductions of Dutch Golden Age masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer, sharpening his techniques. In 1994, he pursued post-graduate studies in painting at the Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes del Peru in Lima, where Peruvian artist Szyszlo’s colors and textural effects deeply influenced his work.
Represented by Park West Gallery, Eugenio paints urban scenes in a wistful Impressionist style featuring vivid hues and radiant light. He depicts people as blurred subjects that blend harmoniously into their surroundings, capturing the rhythm of millions living together. His favorite subject is New York City, though he occasionally creates brightly-hued abstract landscapes that evoke dreamlike scenes.