Fernando Castro Pacheco
Encyclopedia
Fernando Castro Pacheco (January 26, 1918 - ) is a Mexican painter, engraver, illustrator, print maker and teacher. As well as being known for traditional artistic forms, Castro Pacheco illustrated several children’s books and produced works in sculpture. He is more popularly known for his murals that invoke the spirit and history of the Mexican people. His works evoke a unique use of color and form.
in Mexico Castro Pacheco went on to become a well known international and local artist. Little has been published about the artist’s early life. While some scholars insist the he was a mostly self taught artist, Castro Pacheco began his “formal" training at the Mérida School of Fine Arts at the age of 15.” While at the school he honed his artistic skills in engraving and painting. During the time he spent at his school he studied under the instruction of Italian artist Alfonso Cardone. It was at this school that he completed his first engravings in both wood and linoleum. Castro Pacheco spent six years at the school and produced many works during this early period in his artistic career. He also worked as an instructor and taught painting and drawing in the Mérida area.
Upon completion of his studies, Castro Pacheco is credited with co-founding La Escuela Libre de Las Artes Plásticas de Yucatán in 1941. He also served as an instructor for the school. This school, like many others founded during this period, moved the art classroom and studio into an outdoor atmosphere, allowing the artist to more freely capture the beauty, color and realism of nature in art. The idea of outdoor schools of art was promoted by Alfredo Ramos Martinéz. The idea centered on the promotion of more liberal methods for art instruction. In 1942, soon after the founding of the school, Castro Pacheco produced his first lithographs and displayed his painting and drawings in his first exhibit at the Galería de la Universidad de Yucatán.
While in Mérida, Castro Pacheco began work on several murals around the city. Between 1941 and 1942 he completed murals in the preschools (jardines de niños) or playgrounds in Mérida, as well as in several rural school buildings including the Escuela Campesina de Tocoh located in the rural henequen producing area near Mérida. He also completed al fresco murals with cultural and sport themes at the Biblioteca de la Union de Camioneros de Yucatán in Mérida.
where his career and personal life took new directions. Castro Pacheco married during this time and fathered two children. Relating to his career in art, it was during his time in Mexico that he was first linked to the Taller de Gráfica Popular. The Taller was a group of artists and printmakers that formed in 1937 most likely from the dissolved Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios
(League of revolutionary writers and artists) or LEAR which had been active in Mexico City prior to suffering from internal problems. The Taller is associated with popular political movements in Mexico during this time that included “progressive democratic” ideas and support for union workers and people of the lower classes. Castro Pacheco’s role at the Taller is debated. According to some sources he was a somewhat important artist at the Taller, producing engravings and prints that exemplified the face of the poor and suffering in Mexico. According to other sources Castro Pacheco’s role at the Taller was brief and limited, only participating in one show with the group upon his arrival in Mexico City. It was through this first exhibit with the Taller however, that Castro Pacheco gained attention as a print maker and artist. A portfolio of his work was included at the exhibition which gained him attention in the Mexico City art scene and in the international scene as well. Castro Pacheco continued as a print maker until 1960. Working first with linoleum and then between 1945 and 1960 with predominantly wood cuts.
. In 1947 his paintings were part of a collective exhibition in Havana, Cuba.
in Mexico City in 1953. Remaining a prominent and active artist, in 1963 Castro Pacheco earned a commission from the Institución Nacional de Bellas Artes to travel to countries including Spain
, Italy
, France
, England
, Holland and Belgium
in order to study the artistic styles of these countries.
and Querétaro
in Mexico. Between 1971 and 1979 Castro Pacheco completed 27 murals for the governor’s palace in Mérida, Yucatán. These murals depict what some consider the realities of life in the Yucatán after the Spanish conquest as well as images and myths of native Maya tribes indigenous of the Yucatán region. The murals depict scenes of work and torture that the native peoples of the Yucatán endured under Spanish control. The reality of early henequen workers are seen in El henequen. A traditional creation myth of the native tribes is also depicted by Castro Pacheco in his work Hombres de maiz. The murals are oil paintings on large format canvas.
The murals are on public display at the governor’s palace. Unlike traditional murals that are pained directly onto the wall, Castro Pacheco’s murals are unique, “transportable murals.” Because the murals were not “produced and conceived on the walls, in relation to the architecture” his murals cannot be considered part of the traditional “Mexican Renaissance” of which muralist such as Diego Rivera
and Jesus Guerrero Galvan are a part. Because they are painted on large canvas and from a unique perspective, the murals appear as large format paintings, Castro Pacheco does not rely upon “exaggerated foreshortening and perspectives” in these works the images are merely of large proportion.
in Mexico City. He went on to earn several other first place awards for his painting and engaging works from the Salon de Plástica Mexicana. In 1964 he was awarded the Medalla Yucatán and in 1972 the Medalla Eligio Acorna from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán and the Government of the State of the Yucatán. In 1993 the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán created a video to showcase the life work and talents of Castro Pacheco and in 1994 Castro Pacheco earned another honor when the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MACAY)in Mérida named a gallery in his honor.
Collections of his work remain on display at the Galería de Arte Mexicano
in Mexico City and at the Museo MACAY in Mérida.
Education and Early career
Born in Mérida, YucatánMérida, Yucatán
Mérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about from the Gulf of Mexico coast...
in Mexico Castro Pacheco went on to become a well known international and local artist. Little has been published about the artist’s early life. While some scholars insist the he was a mostly self taught artist, Castro Pacheco began his “formal" training at the Mérida School of Fine Arts at the age of 15.” While at the school he honed his artistic skills in engraving and painting. During the time he spent at his school he studied under the instruction of Italian artist Alfonso Cardone. It was at this school that he completed his first engravings in both wood and linoleum. Castro Pacheco spent six years at the school and produced many works during this early period in his artistic career. He also worked as an instructor and taught painting and drawing in the Mérida area.
Upon completion of his studies, Castro Pacheco is credited with co-founding La Escuela Libre de Las Artes Plásticas de Yucatán in 1941. He also served as an instructor for the school. This school, like many others founded during this period, moved the art classroom and studio into an outdoor atmosphere, allowing the artist to more freely capture the beauty, color and realism of nature in art. The idea of outdoor schools of art was promoted by Alfredo Ramos Martinéz. The idea centered on the promotion of more liberal methods for art instruction. In 1942, soon after the founding of the school, Castro Pacheco produced his first lithographs and displayed his painting and drawings in his first exhibit at the Galería de la Universidad de Yucatán.
While in Mérida, Castro Pacheco began work on several murals around the city. Between 1941 and 1942 he completed murals in the preschools (jardines de niños) or playgrounds in Mérida, as well as in several rural school buildings including the Escuela Campesina de Tocoh located in the rural henequen producing area near Mérida. He also completed al fresco murals with cultural and sport themes at the Biblioteca de la Union de Camioneros de Yucatán in Mérida.
Career in Mexico City
In 1943 Castro Pacheco moved to Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
where his career and personal life took new directions. Castro Pacheco married during this time and fathered two children. Relating to his career in art, it was during his time in Mexico that he was first linked to the Taller de Gráfica Popular. The Taller was a group of artists and printmakers that formed in 1937 most likely from the dissolved Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios
Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios
The Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios was a Mexican association of revolutionary artists and writers. It was established in the house of its first president Leopoldo Méndez in 1933 in due to the disbanded "Sindicato de Trabajadores Técnicos, Pintores y Escultores" , and was defined as...
(League of revolutionary writers and artists) or LEAR which had been active in Mexico City prior to suffering from internal problems. The Taller is associated with popular political movements in Mexico during this time that included “progressive democratic” ideas and support for union workers and people of the lower classes. Castro Pacheco’s role at the Taller is debated. According to some sources he was a somewhat important artist at the Taller, producing engravings and prints that exemplified the face of the poor and suffering in Mexico. According to other sources Castro Pacheco’s role at the Taller was brief and limited, only participating in one show with the group upon his arrival in Mexico City. It was through this first exhibit with the Taller however, that Castro Pacheco gained attention as a print maker and artist. A portfolio of his work was included at the exhibition which gained him attention in the Mexico City art scene and in the international scene as well. Castro Pacheco continued as a print maker until 1960. Working first with linoleum and then between 1945 and 1960 with predominantly wood cuts.
First International Exhibits
After his arrival and success in Mexico City, Castro Pacheco exhibited his works on an international level. In 1945 a selection of his paintings were exhibited the United States at a gallery in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. In 1947 his paintings were part of a collective exhibition in Havana, Cuba.
Later Career and International Study
Upon his return to Mexico City, in 1949 he was named a professor of the Escuela National de Artes Plásticas. Castro Pacheco continued to produce works in various medium while in Mexico City. Moving away from tradition canvas, he is credited with producing the scenery for the ballet productions Guernica and La nube estéril at the Palacio de Bellas ArtesPalacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...
in Mexico City in 1953. Remaining a prominent and active artist, in 1963 Castro Pacheco earned a commission from the Institución Nacional de Bellas Artes to travel to countries including Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Holland and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in order to study the artistic styles of these countries.
Return to Mérida
After his travels abroad, Castro Pacheco returned to his native Mérida in 1971 and continued to produce works. Well established as an artist, Castro Pacheco’s most well known works may be the murals that he completed between 1971 and 1979 for the states of YucatánYucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
and Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
in Mexico. Between 1971 and 1979 Castro Pacheco completed 27 murals for the governor’s palace in Mérida, Yucatán. These murals depict what some consider the realities of life in the Yucatán after the Spanish conquest as well as images and myths of native Maya tribes indigenous of the Yucatán region. The murals depict scenes of work and torture that the native peoples of the Yucatán endured under Spanish control. The reality of early henequen workers are seen in El henequen. A traditional creation myth of the native tribes is also depicted by Castro Pacheco in his work Hombres de maiz. The murals are oil paintings on large format canvas.
Non Traditional Murals
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
and Jesus Guerrero Galvan are a part. Because they are painted on large canvas and from a unique perspective, the murals appear as large format paintings, Castro Pacheco does not rely upon “exaggerated foreshortening and perspectives” in these works the images are merely of large proportion.
Awards and Prizes
To date Castro Pacheco remains a Mexican artist of note, especially in Mérida where some of his most famous works are maintained. In Mérida his works are well respected and on display in public areas. Through his lifetime Castro Pacheco earned several awards for his artistic accomplishments. In 1945 he earned his first award for his accomplishments in engraving in Mexico City. In 1954 his painting Salon de invierno earned a first place award from the Salón de la Plástica MexicanaSalón de la Plástica Mexicana
The Salón de la Plástica Mexicana is an art museum of plastic arts, which was founded by a group of notable artists on November 16, 1949. Today the SPM is located in the Calle de Colima 196 in the Colonia Roma and in the Donceles 99 in the Centro Histórico of Mexico City...
in Mexico City. He went on to earn several other first place awards for his painting and engaging works from the Salon de Plástica Mexicana. In 1964 he was awarded the Medalla Yucatán and in 1972 the Medalla Eligio Acorna from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán and the Government of the State of the Yucatán. In 1993 the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán created a video to showcase the life work and talents of Castro Pacheco and in 1994 Castro Pacheco earned another honor when the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MACAY)in Mérida named a gallery in his honor.
Collections of his work remain on display at the Galería de Arte Mexicano
Galería de Arte Mexicano
The Galería de Arte Mexicano was founded by Carolina and Inés Amor at march 7, in Mexico City and has been the first gallery of Mexican art. The gallery building was the first building in Mexico of Andrés Casillas de Alba....
in Mexico City and at the Museo MACAY in Mérida.
Sketches and Drawings
To his credit, Castro Pacheco has undertaken to produce works in various media. His earliest works are known for their graphic style. Sketches, pencil drawings and inked works on paper account for a majority of his early works. These works have in common Castro Pacheco’s attention to darkness. Studies in shade and chiaroscuro are captured in this period of his career. Using different shades of black and different degrees of darkness, his dark expressionist pieces are seen in his work Despertar, 1941.Distemper and Oils
Early distempers, oils and watercolors on the other hand created by Castro Pacheco use soft colors and pencil outlines to capture the beauty and fluidity of rural life in Mérida. In his works from the period of the Escuela Libre the artist, captures landscapes in a subtle way. Drawing on the influences of the outdoor school, images of livestock are displayed using warm brown tones in his 1941 work El corral de la hacienda. Of his earliest works, Castro Pacheco’s attention to water-color techniques is also unique. A large amount of his concentration on landscapes, perspective and human form are seen in his water-color snap shots of people performing everyday activities. Examples include Pescadores, 1941.Sculpture
As an artist, Castro Pacheco has given his two dimensional works form and substance through his works in sculpture. Mostly cast in bronze, it is estimated that the artist produced at least eight original works in this medium. He also produced about 35 enamels and 60 works in ceramic.Woman as Subject
One of the main subjects expressed in much of Castro Pacheco’s body of work is the female figure. Both nudes and robed models are frequently at the center of this works. Women that are the focal point of his work are of Mexican heritage. While the image of a woman alone is depicted more frequently by Castro Pacheco he also depicts women with male companions or with children.External links
- Gallery of Fernando Castro (spanish)
- http://yucatantoday.com/en/topics/castro-pacheco-murals
- http://www.graphicwitness.org/group/tgppacheco.htm