Mas

In previous editions of Más, we have written about the masters of the Mexican school of mural painting.  We first featured Diego Rivera, and last week, we wrote about David Alfaro Siqueiros.  Now we focus on José Clemente Orozco, an artist who created important murals in Mexico and U.S.

Some of the work of Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco will be on display at the "Legacy of Mexican and Latin American Art Past and Present" exhibit at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R St. The exhibit, which began Jan. 12, runs through March 27.  For more information, call 323-7219.

Several of Orozco’s pieces were based on the Mexican Revolution and the struggle of the people against the oppressors.  Orozco used his art to be the voice of the people against injustice.  His drawings depicted scenes of the revolution and his first great portrait was titled “The Last Spanish Forces Leaving the Castle of San Juan de Ulúa.”

Orozco was born to Rosa de Flores Orozco on Nov. 23,1883 in Zapotlan el Grande, which today is Ciudad Guzman in Jalisco, México.  Then, he moved to Guadalajara and later to Mexico City with his family.

When Orozco was a boy, he met José Guadalupe Posada, who inspired him to become interested in painting. Orozco took drawing lessons at Academia de San Carlos, the same academy attended by Rivera. Orozco studied agriculture for three years, then returned to the Academia de San Carlos from 1906 to 1910.

After the death of his father, Orozco had to get a job to help support the family.  He found work as a political cartoonist and draftsman and was an illustrator from 1911 to 1924.  He drew cartoons for the newspapers El Imparcial and El Hijo de Ahuizote and became one of the illustrators of La Vanguardia, the newspaper of the constitutionalist movement during the Revolution.

From 1917 to 1920, Orozco lived in the U.S. He moved to New York to test himself without the support of his family.  His left hand had been blown off in an accident with gunpowder, and critics believe that is a reason that hands were an important part of his paintings.  He often drew heavy muscular figures that stood out from the geometric backgrounds. In 1923 he married Margarita Valladares and they had three children.

While in New York, he searched to find the path the rest of his life would take. Orozco also won the opportunity to paint some murals in California.

When he returned to Mexico, settling in Guadalajara, he continued to paint.  Orozco used dark colors to represent human cruelty and the reality of war. Orozco craved uniqueness and didn’t want to be placed in a category. He rejected attention from the press and avoided the gallery market because of its commercial emphasis.

Orozco was a founding member of El Colegio Nacional, where he presented six exhibitions, including the 1947 display of his Los Teules series of paintings depicting the conquest of Mexico. He died in Mexico City on Sept. 7, 1949.

Sources:  staff.esuhsd.org & colegionacional.org

Today’s Lesson:

1)  José Clemente Orozco was born in_______________

2)  On what date was Orozco born?

3)  When his father died, Orozco got a job as a ____________ and worked for __________________________________ newspapers.

4)  He was married to _________________ and they had ________ children.

5)  José Clemente Orozco died in ______________ on the date of ________________

Answers:
1)  Zapotlan el Grande
2)  November 23, 1883.
3)  Political cartoonist and draftsman.  El Imparcial and El Hijo de Ahuizote.
4)  Margarita Valladares.  Three.
5)  Mexico City.  September 7, 1949.