An Artist's Brush With Acupuncture Made Painting Possible Again

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Juan Manuel Delgado, an artist and native of Costa Rica, swears by acupuncture and credits the therapy with allowing him to walk again, even after countless doctors were all but assured of his lifelong immobility.

Delgado’s love of art began early in life. Born in Costa Rica, his family moved to Canada when he was 3 years old. There, he studied with Peter Schwartzman, a renowned Russian artist and architect. Following in his mentor’s footsteps, Delgado pursued an architecture degree and later returned to Costa Rica where he continued practicing art, refining his skill under the tutelage of a master portrait artist.

Delgado presenting Pope Francis with a portrait

A couple of months before coming to China, Delgado was diagnosed with a serious condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis, a rare type of arthritis that causes pain and stiffness in the spine. It’s a life-long condition that generally begins in the lower back and gradually makes its way towards the neck, often damaging joints in other parts of the body. Due to this condition, Delgado was told he would never be able to walk again and would have to rely on a wheelchair.

“Crimson Lips”

Unable to move, or so much as pick up a paintbrush, Delgado was in agony, and the thought of being wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life weighed heavily. Determined not to be defined by the disease, he began researching a well-known staple of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture. Incidentally, this wasn’t Delgado’s first foray into the treatment, having used it earlier in his life.

“Interlaced Fingers”

After deciding that acupuncture outweighed the side effects of all the medications prescribed by his doctors, Delgado sought out treatment in China where his father still lives and works as the ambassador for Costa Rica. Needless to say, his recovery wasn’t easy, however, Delgado is living proof that the power of the mind is greater than we think.

Portrait of Keylor Navas

I had the opportunity to interview Delgado. His story is fascinating and his artwork breathtaking, to say the least.

How do you think acupuncture has helped your recovery?

The beauty of acupuncture is that it focuses on the radiance of the human body as a whole. For example, if you have shoulder pain, the doctor will not inject your shoulder. The doctor might go for your hip or some other body part in order for the body to line up to itself whereas Western medicine only focuses on the individual part of the body. And the beauty of it all is that acupuncture is one of the best techniques that has been practiced for thousands of years here in China to alleviate pain, inflammation, and so many other factors. I opted towards that because I felt it was less harmful in terms of taking the harsh medication for my body, and to be able to have a long life, and I guess following my intuition played a big part.

Would you say that your art served as a coping mechanism during the pandemic?

During the pandemic, for me as an artist, it didn’t affect me that greatly because I’m always working at home or the studio and so I’m not someone who needs to go to the office. So I think for any artist, there weren’t many difficulties stuck at home because the beauty of the pandemic in one way, is that it blossomed much more artists to explore that inner talent or passion that they had but were never able to express it. I think a lot more artists or musicians or poets came to the world because of the pandemic which urged them to focus on their inner worlds.

Portrait of astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang

What would you say to young artists that aspire to make their work known, as you have with yours?

As an artist, you have to be true to yourself. Some artists might try to paint what people want, just to sell their work but I think it’s more important to find what brings happiness towards you, be it landscapes or flowers or portraits. And that is your own representation of how you see the world and how you’re going to express that world to other people for them to enjoy. So the most important thing is to be true to yourself. Do not give up, continue working hard and being patient, and remain positive because it is a slow career and you learn as you grow.

Images: Juan Manuel

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