Yupanqui was born Héctor Roberto Chavero Haram in Pergamino (Buenos Aires Province), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over.
In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed uprising of the Kennedy brothers and was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".
Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during Juan Perón's presidency; he was detained and incarcerated several times. He left for Europe in 1949. Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris in June of that year. He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.
In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances.
Recognition of Yupanqui's ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and nueva canción artists such as Mercedes Sosa recorded his compositions and made him popular among the younger musicians, who referred to him as Don Ata.
Yupanqui alternated between houses in Buenos Aires and Cerro Colorado, Córdoba province. During 1963-1964, he toured Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina, but these visits became less frequent when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976.
Yupanqui died in Nimes, France in 1992 at the age of 84; he was buried in the Cerro Colorado Cementery.
El Pintor
Atahualpa Yupanqui Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un pintor me pinto un día,
Mas me pinto por afuera
Porque adentro no veía.
¿Cuando vendrá ese pintor
Que pinte lo que yo siento?
Ganas de vivir la vida
Es mal pintor el pintor
Que me ha pintado ese día,
Cantando coplas serranas
Con la barriga vacía.
Es mal pintor el pintor,
Y en esto no hay duda alguna,
Pues solo pintó mi poncho
Y se olvidó de mi hambruna.
¿Cuando vendrá ese pintor
Que pinte lo que yo siento?
Ganas de vivir la vida
Sin pesares ni tormentos.
Creyendo hacer cosa buena...
The song "El Pintor" by Atahualpa Yupanqui is a reflection on the superficiality of appearances and the importance of expressing genuine emotions. The first stanza describes the experience of the singer being painted by a painter, believing it to be a good thing. However, the painter only paints him on the outside, not seeing what is inside. This can be read as a metaphor for the way society values appearances over substance, and how people may try to present themselves as happy or successful even if they are not.
The second stanza expresses the singer's desire for a painter who can capture what he feels inside, painting a portrait of his desire to live life without worries or anxieties. The third stanza returns to the painter who had previously painted the singer, describing him as a bad painter who only painted the exterior and ignored the internal struggles of the subject. The final stanza repeats the first one, emphasizing the the desire for a painter who can truly capture the fullness of a person's experience.
The song ultimately questions the value of appearance versus substance and the importance of expressing genuine emotions. The singer seeks a painter who can see beyond the surface and paint a portrait that reflects the true internal self.
Line by Line Meaning
Creyendo hacer cosa buena
Thinking he was doing something good
Un pintor me pinto un día,
One day a painter painted me,
Mas me pinto por afuera
But he only painted the outside of me,
Porque adentro no veía.
Because he couldn't see what was inside me.
¿Cuando vendrá ese pintor
When will that painter come
Que pinte lo que yo siento?
Who will paint what I feel?
Ganas de vivir la vida
The desire to live life
Sin angustias ni tormentos...
Without anxiety or torment...
Es mal pintor el pintor
The painter is a bad painter,
Que me ha pintado ese día,
Who painted me that day,
Cantando coplas serranas
Singing mountain tunes,
Con la barriga vacía.
With an empty stomach.
Y en esto no hay duda alguna,
There is no doubt about this,
Pues solo pintó mi poncho
Because he only painted my poncho,
Y se olvidó de mi hambruna.
And forgot about my hunger.
¿Cuando vendrá ese pintor
When will that painter come
Que pinte lo que yo siento?
Who will paint what I feel?
Ganas de vivir la vida
The desire to live life
Sin pesares ni tormentos.
Without sorrows or torment.
Creyendo hacer cosa buena...
Thinking he was doing something good...
Contributed by Brayden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.