Gabriel Fernández Ledesma
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Fernández Ledesma (30 May 1900 - 26 August 1983) was a Mexican
painter, printmaker, sculptor, graphic artist, writer and teacher. He has been described as one of the most prolific artists in Mexican modern art
.
, he began his artistic training at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (National School of Fine Arts) in Mexico City after receiving a scholarship granted by the state. Around 1920, José Vasconcelos
commissioned Ledesma to create modern tile designs. Ledesma chose to revive the Puebla Talavera
tiles. He used his painted tiles for the former Colegio Máximo de San Pedro y San Pablo
(Great College of Saints Peter and Paul). Together with Roberto Montenegro
, Fernández Ledesma designed the mural paintings that decorated the walls of the Mexican Pavilion for the 1922 Centenary Exposition in Rio de Janeiro
. In 1925 he taught drawing at the Ministry of Public Education. He founded the free school of sculpture and direct carving and in 1926 the Centro de Arte Popular (Public Art Center) in the San Pablo district. Fernández Ledesmas became the editor of Forma in 1926, a government-sponsored magazine about the plastic arts scene in the late 1920s. He continued as editor for several years. He was involved with the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929
in Seville
. From 1928 to 1929 he built up the "¡30-30!
" movement which attempted to change the teaching of art together with Fernando Leal, Ramón Alva de la Canal
and other revolutionary anti-academic artists. He was a founding member of Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios
(League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists) and with the support of the Ministry of Public Education, exhibited his colleagues´work in Paris
in 1938 under the title Artdans la vie politique mexicaine (Art in the Political Life in Mexico). In 1942 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship
for non-fiction. Fernández Ledesma edited and published several books on Mexican popular art. He has been described as one of the most prolific artists in Mexican modern art.
Fernández Ledesma married Isabel Villaseñor, an icon of Mexico's postrevolutionary period. They had one daughter, Olinca. Fernández Ledesma died in 1983 in Mexico City.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
painter, printmaker, sculptor, graphic artist, writer and teacher. He has been described as one of the most prolific artists in Mexican modern art
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
.
Biography
Fernández Ledesma was a Mexican painter, printmaker, sculptor, graphic artist, writer and teacher. Born in 1900 into a large family of intellectuals in AguascalientesAguascalientes, Aguascalientes
The city of Aguascalientes is the capital of the state of Aguascalientes in western central Mexico. It stands on the banks of the Río Aguascalientes, 1880 meters above sea level, at...
, he began his artistic training at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (National School of Fine Arts) in Mexico City after receiving a scholarship granted by the state. Around 1920, José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos Calderón was a Mexican writer, philosopher and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial personalities in the development of modern Mexico. His philosophy of "indigenismo" affected all aspects of Mexican sociocultural, political, and economic...
commissioned Ledesma to create modern tile designs. Ledesma chose to revive the Puebla Talavera
Talavera (pottery)
Talavera pottery of Puebla, Mexico is a type of majolica pottery, which is distinguished by a milky-white glaze. Authentic Talavera pottery only comes from the city of Puebla and the nearby communities of Atlixco, Cholula, and Tecali, because of the quality of the natural clay found there and the...
tiles. He used his painted tiles for the former Colegio Máximo de San Pedro y San Pablo
San Pedro y San Pablo College (Museum of Light)
The San Pedro y San Pablo College complex has seen a lot of changes since it was built in late 16th and early 17th centuries, and today the church portion of the complex is home to the Museo de la Luz sponsored by the National Autonomous University of Mexico...
(Great College of Saints Peter and Paul). Together with Roberto Montenegro
Roberto Montenegro
Roberto Montenegro Nervo was a Mexican painter, illustrator, and stage designer....
, Fernández Ledesma designed the mural paintings that decorated the walls of the Mexican Pavilion for the 1922 Centenary Exposition in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. In 1925 he taught drawing at the Ministry of Public Education. He founded the free school of sculpture and direct carving and in 1926 the Centro de Arte Popular (Public Art Center) in the San Pablo district. Fernández Ledesmas became the editor of Forma in 1926, a government-sponsored magazine about the plastic arts scene in the late 1920s. He continued as editor for several years. He was involved with the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929
Ibero-American Exposition of 1929
The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 was a world's fair held in Seville, Spain, from the 9th of May 1929 until the 21st of June 1930. Countries in attendance of the exposition included: Portugal, The United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, the Republic of Colombia, Cuba,...
in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. From 1928 to 1929 he built up the "¡30-30!
¡30-30!
"¡30-30!" was a Mexican artists' group of revolutionary anti-academic painters, that took its name from the .30-30 Winchester rifle. The group existed from 1928 to 1930, and had around about 30 members...
" movement which attempted to change the teaching of art together with Fernando Leal, Ramón Alva de la Canal
Ramón Alva de la Canal
Ramón Alva de la Canal was a Mexican painter and illustrator.- Biography :...
and other revolutionary anti-academic artists. He was a founding member of 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) and with the support of the Ministry of Public Education, exhibited his colleagues´work in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1938 under the title Artdans la vie politique mexicaine (Art in the Political Life in Mexico). In 1942 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for non-fiction. Fernández Ledesma edited and published several books on Mexican popular art. He has been described as one of the most prolific artists in Mexican modern art.
Fernández Ledesma married Isabel Villaseñor, an icon of Mexico's postrevolutionary period. They had one daughter, Olinca. Fernández Ledesma died in 1983 in Mexico City.