Carlos Merida

Happy Birthday Carlos Merida!

Born on December 2, 1891, in Guatamala City, Carlos Merida was a muralist and canvas painter who relocated to Mexico and completed most of his work here. He was encouraged to pursue art by his father, since a malformed ear forced him to abandon his first choice: music. He traveled and studied in the US and Europe, where he was influenced by avant grade movements and met and became friends with other Latin American artists.

Merida was a member of the Mexican muralist movement (pre-dating it slightly) however he seemed to prefer canvas work and his painting has been likened to that of Rufino Tamayo. I see Paul Klee as an influence as well.  He focused on Mexican landscapes and themes, indigneous motifs, people and culture...fusing these with European Modernism.

He was also an educator, establishing a dance school where his daughter, Ana, studied. He designed sets and costumes for many productions and even taught fresco painting in the US. His work is thought to be instrumental in the development of Abstract art in Mexico. Merida exhibited extensively in the US, Mexico and his home country of Guatamala.

Alfredo Gauti Rojo

Happy Birthday Alfredo Gauti Rojo!

Born December 1, 1918, in Cuernavaca, Alfredo Gauti Rojo's father was a lawyer. Although he started started drawing at the age of seven, Gauti Rojo did not consider art as a career until later when he saw Diego Rivera's  murals. He was selected to help Eduardo Solares complete a mural in his hometown using the fresco technique and was then sold on watercolor! He spent his career vying for watercolor to be recognized as a reputable medium.

Gauti Rojo attended Escuela de Artes Plasticas, after first enrolling in the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria as a law student. After graduating, he began his career as a teacher of art, founding the Instituto de Arte de Mexico in Colonia Roma. After organizing the Sociedad de Mexicanas Acuarelistas, he used the group as the basis for establishing the National Watercolor Museum, in Mesico City. Gauti Rojo was considered one of the best Mexican watercolorists of the 20th century. He painted (uniquely) with his paper vertical, layering thin strips of color. However watercolor remained a mystery for him...in his words: "watercolors do what they want to do. No one can really say they have dominated the technique. Every time I start a new painting I am terrified that I will fail."

 

Ricardo Legorreta

Happy Birthday Ricardo  Legorreta!

Architect Ricardo LegorretaHappy was born on May 7, 1931, in Nexico City. He attended Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, studying architecture. After graduation LegorretaHappy went on to work with Jose Villagean Garcia for ten years, before setting up his own practice in 1963.

He is said to be a disciple of Luis Barragan (see March 9 post) but took the elements of bright colors, geometric shapes and juxtaposition of light and shadow typically used by Barragan in domestic structures further by applying them to commercial and educational buildings. He has been awarded several recognitions, including the AIA Gold Medal (American Institute of Architects) in 2000.
His work can be found all over the world.

                                                                      
                                                                     Pershing Square

Kati Horna

Happy Birthday Kati Horna!

The photographer Kati (Deutsch) Horna was actually born on May 19, 1912 (I missed her) in Budapest. She lived in several European countries before becoming a Mexican citizen. After her father died she turned to photography as a means to make her living. Her work was definitely influenced by the political instability of the times, poverty and violence. She initially began her studies with photographer Jozsep Pecsi, later traveling to France with Robert Capa, photographing street scenes, cafes, etc.

Horna met her future husband while in Barcelona, working for the magazine Umbral. She and Jose Horna fled the Nazis in 1939, to Mexico, where she remained for the rest of her life. She worked for several important magazines and accepted several commissions. Her work was primarily considered photo realism, but she did venture into Surrealism also. Horna was a professor at various institutions throughout her career. Her work is displayed in Mexico, Spain and a few other countries.

 

 

 

                                                          La Guerra Civil Espanola

Daniel Manrique

Happy Birthday Daniel Manrique!

Born on November 28, 1939, in Tepito, Mexico City, Daniel Manrique was known for his mural painting. He showed an interest and talent for drawing at a young age, but his family was poor and did not support his ambition. He was able to study at La Esmeralda after first beginning his studies at Taller Libre de Arte para Obreros (Free Art Workshop for Laborers).

He founded a program called Tepito Arte Aca' designed to beautify the Tepito area with art, as well as sponsor cultural activities. The themes of his murals were usually the common Mexican people in their everyday life, as well as history and culture of Mexican and Latin American. Although the bulk of his work was created in the Tepito area, he did paint murals in Canada, Spain, France, Argentina as well as all over Mexico.

Manrique was a sculptor, drawer and canvas painter as well, but did not exhibit his work. He did not care for the "patronizing aspect of art dealers". Manrique felt art has a social function and could help with social issues. He worked with several organizations to this end, including Tepito Arte Aca'.

Humberto Ramos

Happy Birthday Humberto Ramos!

Comic book artist Humberto Ramos was born on November 27, 1970, in Mexico City. He has worked in the comic book industry since '89, when he was hired by Kaboom! In 1993, Ramos received a big break after traveling to the US to exhibit his art;  being recruited by Milestone Comics. This led to his employment with several other companies, ultimately landing jobs with DC Comics and Marvel Comics, (among others) and working on Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and The Amazing Spider-man.

He has created covers for as well as the body of comic sagas. He also has his own comic series, titled Crimson.

Jose Garcia Narezo

Born in Madrid, Spain, Jose Garcia Narezo's birthday is today, November 26, 1922. His father was a Spanish artist, writer and critic; his mother was Mexican. He studied first at Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre, in Mexico and then fled there again to avoid the Spanish Civil War, eventually becoming a citizen.

Although Nareza created canvas paintings, watercolors and book illustrations, he is best known for his murals. His work has been exhibited in collectives in the US and Mexico. He has also had numerous individual showings. Jose Garcia Nareza lived to be 70 years old.