The universe is a place of infinite possibility and beauty in the elegant works of Joan Belmar. In "Beguiled by Caravaggio" Joan draws inspiration from the Italian Master's use of light and darkness, and creates his own abstract works that investigate the metaphorical meanings of the color black. In this new body of work, Joan's paintings are more simplified, more minimal, but still allude to the rich layerings of culture, science, maps, and planets, while retaining a sense of mystery. There is a luminosity, a sumptuous velvety black; a sense of infinity.

Joan Belmar was born in Santiago, Chile and left for Spain at the age of 24. He began painting professionally in Spain, and moved to Washington, D.C. four years later. Joan was granted permanent residency in the U.S. based on extraordinary artistic merit in 2003, and became a citizen in 2010.

Joan is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Mayor's Art Award Finalist in Washington, DC, the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities Fellowship Program, and an Individual Artist Grant by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and the state of Maryland. In 2016 he won first place in the Osten Biennial of Drawing in Macedonia. He has exhibited in numerous shows including Addison Ripley Gallery, Charles Krause Reporting, IA&A at Hillyer, and the Katzen Arts Center at American University. Joan has exhibited with Adah Rose Gallery at PULSE Miami, PULSE New York, the Silicon Valley Art Fair, and the Dallas Art Fair.