Master Artist Gustavo Enrique Bautista López (1953-2017), folklorist, Tolima native, master of fine arts and muralist. His folkloric style stemmed from a deep love and respect for his roots, which led him to a constant search to recognize and exalt the traditions, identity, folklore, and memory of his country. Thus, from the sensitivity of his brush, and amidst the smells of turpentine and oil, he portrayed his being with forms, lights, and colors, giving a unique soul to each of his creations.

His artistic sensitivity was always accompanied by rigorous social and documentary research, which, combined with his personal experience, gave deep certainty to each of his strokes. In this way, his work documents the depths, realities, and feelings of the richness that makes up the multicultural and intercultural nature of Colombia. 

The foregoing forged a complement between a tireless researcher and a joyful representative of the country he documented. This is no small feat because his presence became his greatest and most important creation. In this way, Gustavo Bautizta's work does not recount the interpretation of an external observer but rather tells the folklore of a country from the inside, from his heart. Thus, between books and parties, between meditations and laughter, he allowed himself to study but also to live his territory.