José Reyes Meza
José Reyes Meza (November 23, 1924 – October 31, 2011) was a Mexican painter, costume and set designer, who helped to found a number of cultural institutions in Mexico. Reyes Meza began his artistic career principally in theater, although he was an active painter and even bullfighter in his early days. Painting became prominent starting in the 1970s, working on murals in various parts of Mexico as well as exhibiting canvas works in Mexico and abroad. The artist is a founding member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana and his work has been acknowledged by tributes, various awards and an art museum in Nuevo Laredo named after him.
Life
José Reyes Meza was born in
Later in childhood, he went to live with his father, whose occupation was metal engraving and jewelry work. He described his father as someone “very close to aesthetic expression.” His father introduced him to bullfighting and the theater. He tried t learn his father's trade but did not like it, so he took a job at the age of eleven as a cook's helper at the dining hall at a local oil refinery.[2][3] In his free time, he drew, giving his works to the refinery workers. In recognition of his talent, the workers from the payroll department arranged a stipend to allow him to attend the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City, where Reyes arrived in 1938, at age fourteen.[2][4] Reyes Meza studied at the school from 1938 to 1948 under teachers such as Benjamín Coria, Francisco Goitia, Francisco de la Torre and Luis Sahagún.[1][5]
Deciding he needed other studies as well, in 1942 he enrolled in classes with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, concentrating on topics such as mythology, religion and magic. With other students at the Instituto such as Xavier Rojas, he founded the Teatro Estudiantil Autónoma, remaining very active with this theater project which led to an award for best set design in 1957.[2][4]
Shortly after arriving to Mexico City, he married María Luisa Algarra, a writer and lawyer who arrived to Mexico fleeing the Spanish Civil War. The artist met her at the opening of her first play in Mexico. This union produced two daughters María and Fernanda. The marriage lasted twelve years, until María Luisa's death at the age of forty two. He then married Gabriela Orozco Marín, the daughter of painters Carlos Orozco Romero and María Marín. This union produced Mariana Gabriela, who also became a painter.[2] Through his life his passions remains art, bulls and cooking.[3] He stated that if he had not become a painter, he probably would have become a cook or bullfighter, with a passion for both since childhood. From his teen years until the late 1950s, he fought bulls when he could as a secondary occupation. This interest also is reflected in a series of drawings and oil paintings.[2][3]
Reyes Meza died at the age of 87 in Mexico City, from complications of stomach cancer.[6][7] His body was buried at the Panteón Francés in the Deportiva Pensil neighborhood of Mexico City.[4]
Career
Reyes Meza's career began in the theater while still a student, spanning over twenty-five years, although he also continued to paint and fight bulls.
The artist's work can be found in public and private collections principally in Mexico and the United States. Institutions with his work include Museo Nacional de Historiqa, the
Reyes Meza was involved in the formation of a number of organizations related to art and culture in Mexico, starting as a founding member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana in 1949.[5] Later he helped to found the Asociación Mexicana de Artes Plásticas (AMAPAC), the Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México in 1959, Sociedad de Autores de Interés Público in 1976, and the Cultura Fronteriza association in 1992 to promote Mexican art and culture on the country's northern and southern borders.[1][3][5][8]
His other artistic activities included illustration, the decoration of churches, research and design. From 1963 to 1973 he was an illustrator for the El Día newspaper.
Reyes Meza's first award for his artistic work was a critics’ award for best set design in 1957 for his work on
Artistry
José Reyes Meza's work has been classified as part of the Mexican muralism movement, but this has been disputed.[7] His iconography, especially in his earlier work, is similar to that of Muralism's Diego Rivera, Guillermo Meza, Julio Castellanos and Jesús Guerrero Galván, with Reyes Meza's concept of “Mexicanness” tied to the life of the common people.[1] He spent a good part of his career working on murals, which show his aptitude for mathematics, used to create harmony in his compositions.[2]
However, in his later work, he looked for new hypotheses, by 1961, influence from the work of Van Gogh became evident with sunflowers in one series. He also worked to revive still life painting in Mexico.[1]
Reyes stated that “Ever since I began to paint, my work has reflected all my experiences.” One of these is music, which shows in his canvas through his brushstrokes and use of color.[2]
References
- ^ ISBN 968 6258 56 6.
- ^ ISBN 968 5005 58 3.
- ^ a b c d e f Jos. "José Reyes Meza o el arte de cocinar" (in Spanish). Mexico City: Mexico Desconocido magazine. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Merry MacMasters (November 1, 2011). "Falleció José Reyes Meza, muralista, escenógrafo y estudioso de la mitología" (in Spanish). Mexico City: La Jornada. p. 5. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "1938-1950" (in Spanish). Mexico City: José Reyes Meza. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ a b "2011" (in Spanish). Mexico City: José Reyes Meza. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ a b Armando Ponce (October 31, 2011). "Fallece José Reyes Meza, "el último de los muralistas"" (in Spanish). Mexico City: Proceso magazine. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "1960-1980" (in Spanish). Mexico City: José Reyes Meza. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "1990-2000" (in Spanish). Mexico City: José Reyes Meza. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.