Victor Leonardo Santoyo is a contemporary American painter born in California in 1937.
Santoyo was born into a family of artisans. He is the only child of two noteworthy artists, a widely published Latin American caricaturist/muralist, Matias Santoyo, and a celebrated coloratura soprano opera
singer of the time, Armanda Chirot.
Born with a rebel spirit, he began working at a very young age, raced hot rods and rode a
motorcycle in that wonderful bygone period in the Los Angeles of the 40’s and 50’s. He graduated
from Los Angeles High and joined the U.S. Air Force. During his tour of duty Santoyo traveled
throughout the great cities of Europe and was directly exposed to the art of the European Masters.
Inspired by them and gifted with a keen ability to draw he began art courses at the University of
Maryland while still serving in the military.
Born with a rebel spirit, he began working at a very young age, raced hot rods and rode a
motorcycle in that wonderful bygone period in the Los Angeles of the 40’s and 50’s. He graduated
from Los Angeles High and joined the U.S. Air Force. During his tour of duty Santoyo traveled
throughout the great cities of Europe and was directly exposed to the art of the European Masters.
Inspired by them and gifted with a keen ability to draw he began art courses at the University of
Maryland while still serving in the military.
Upon his return to the States, Santoyo studied art at Los Angeles City College and at Chouinard Art
Institute. Most importantly, Santoyo began to paint, and he apprenticed with Los Angeles based
artist and designer Murray Large and with the Russian Master, Samuel Markitante.
Renoir, Braque, Picasso, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Rouault and Buffet influenced Santoyo’s early works.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s Santoyo emerged with paintings that were vastly independent and
historically ground breaking. His figurative and abstract work from this period had the influence of
the history before him but was crisp with new thought and expression. The signature landscapes,
with multiple point perspectives of the horizon line coupled with fields of abstract color formations
and geometric shape, from these very productive years, are strikingly unique, evocative and remain
a significant achievement in fine art painting history.
Santoyo was published widely throughout the 1970’s by several art publishing houses and had been
shown at several galleries. In 1976 two of his paintings were selected for the American in Paris
exhibition and received high honors.
In the 1970’s, Santoyo began his work in fine art silkscreen prints and founded Impressions Limited
Atelier. As a Master Printer he worked closely with many reputable fine art publishing
establishments and with famously published artists of his time. His work in hand pulled serigraphy
is well documented and included limited edition prints collaborated directly with the likes of Bob
Kane, Faith Ringgold and Frank Romero. These hand crafted works are historically significant and
are included in the collections of well known museums including the Smithsonian Washington DC.
