Luis Nishizawa

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Luis Nishizawa
Figurativism, Engraving
SpouseEva Zepeda

Luis Nishizawa Flores (February 2, 1918 – September 29, 2014) was a Mexican artist known for his landscape work and murals, which often show Japanese and Mexican influence. He began formal training as an artist in 1942 at the height of the Mexican muralism movement but studied other painting styles as well as Japanese art.

In addition to painting canvases and murals, including murals made with ceramics, he was a professor of fine arts at the

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México from which he received an honorary doctorate. The State of Mexico
, where he was born, created the Museo Taller Luis Nishizawa to honor and promote his life's work.

Biography

Luis Nishizawa Flores was born on February 2, 1918, at the San Mateo Ixtacalco Hacienda in the Cuautitlán municipality of the State of Mexico.[1][2] His father, Kenji Nishizawa, was Japanese and his mother, María de Jesús Flores, was Mexican.[3][4] Since he was a child, he was introverted and solitary, spending his childhood tending cattle for his family.[2] The family moved to Mexico City in 1925, where Nishizawa learned to create jewelry and studied music with a teacher named Rodolfo Halfter.[5]

Funeral of Luis Nishizawa, President Enrique Peña Nieto (right) attended to pay respects to the painter.

Although he had interest in art at age 15, he began artistic training at the

figurativism as well.[5] He received his master's degree in fine arts in 1947.[1][5]

In 1955, he began teaching art at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas at UNAM.[1]

In 1963, he studied engraving with Yukio Fukazawa and took another course in engraving at the Center for Japanese Artists in Tokyo.[1]

He married Eva Zepeda in 1964, with whom he had four children.[6]

On Monday, September 29, 2014, Luis Nishizawa died in Toluca, México at age 96.[7]

Career

Art by Nishizawa

Nishizawa was a painter, engraver, graphic artist, sketch artist and ceramicist.

Nagano. His works are also held in private collections in Mexico, Japan and the United States.[4]

Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas
.

He participated in numerous individual and collective exhibition in Mexico and abroad, with his first individual exhibition in 1951.

Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público), Retrospective in the Gallery of the University of Colima, De Ayer y Hoy at the Teléfonos de México, The work of Nishizawa at the Ruth Hermose Galleries in San Francisco as well as various exhibitions at the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, and “Las vacas flacas y los sueños rotos” in various locations and times.[1][9] In 1995, the Casa de Cultura in Cancún held an exhibition to honor his life's work.[1] The Institutto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literature sponsored an exhibition of his life's work at the Museo Nacional de San Carlos in 2008.[3]

Nishizawa painted his first major mural “El aire es vida y la salud es la mayor riqueza” at the

Artistry

Over his career Nishizawa employed various techniques and styles in his work, with some of his best known work being in ink.[1][10] He is one of few painters who also draws as an end rather than just a means.[9] Most of his work is dedicated to nature, the universe and the human figure, with much of the imagery influenced by his childhood contact with the landscape of Mexico.[2][3] His Japanese and Mexican ethnic heritage is evident in his work, with themes mostly related to Mexico but Japanese style and technique evident, especially with the use of color.[4][8]

Recognition

The Centro Cultural Luis Nishizawa in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Edomex.

Nishizawa received recognition from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, as a judge for the Premio Universidad Nacional, receiving an honorary doctorate from the school in 1996 and named Master Emeritus (Maestro Emérito) as well.

CONACULTA, received the Premio Nacional de Artes in 1996 and was commemorated with a Mexican postage stamp.[1][4][10] He was honored various times by the State of Mexico, which created the Museo Taller Luis Nishizawa in an old mansion near the Palacio de Gobierno in Toluca.[2]

Other honors include membership in the Academy of Arts of Mexico, various institutions named after him such as the Galería Luis Nishizawa at UNAM and the Centro Cultural Luis Nishizawa at the

Campus Estado de México of ITESM, and received the Sacred Treasure of the Dragon award from the government of Japan.[1][10]

Museo Taller Luis Nishizawa

The Museo Taller Luis Nishizawa was inaugurated in 1992 in a mansion from the end of the 18th century in Toluca, restored for its current purpose. It was created in recognition for his creative work as well as his work as an art professor. The institution functions as both a museum and workshop as well as center of documentation on the artist for researchers and the general public.[11][12] The museum is located in a mansion from the end of the 18th century. It was restored for its current purpose and opened in 1992 by the State of Mexico. Its main function is to preserve and promote the works of the artist and contains about 800 works in various media. It has seven halls for temporary exhibits, a library and spaces for concerts, conferences and workshop in ceramics, engraving and drawing.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Luis Nishizawa" (in Spanish). Mexico: Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lilián Anaya (February 3, 2012). "Luis Nishizawa cumplió 94 fructíferos años" [Luis Nishizawa celebrates 94 fruitful years]. El Universo Estado de México (in Spanish). Toluca. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Homenajean a Luis Nishizawa por sus 90 años de vida" [Pay homage to Luis Nishizawa for his 90 years of life]. El Informador (in Spanish). Guadalajara, Mexico. April 8, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Centro Mexiquense dedica mes a Luis Nishizawa" [Centro Mexiquense dedicates month to Luis Nishizawa]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City. January 30, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "Luis Nishizawa" (in Spanish). Mexico: State of Mexico. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Martha Valdespino (January 5, 1999). "Festeja Luis Nishizawa 50 anos de arte" [Luis Nishizawa celebrates 50 year of art]. Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 16.
  7. ^ "El pintor mexicano Luis Nishizawa fallecie a los 96 años de edad" ABC.es September 30, 2014
  8. ^ a b c "Inauguran un mural del mexicano Luis Nishizawa en la Corte Suprema de México" [Inaugurate mural by Mexican Luis Nishizawa at the Supreme Court of Mexico]. El Informador (in Spanish). Guadalajara, Mexico. April 21, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c Fabiola Palapa Quijas (March 12, 2012). "Crecí en la tradición de los paisajes a tinta: Luis Nishizawa" [I grew up in the tradition of landscapes in ink: Luis Nishizawa]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Rinden homenaje al muralista Luis Nishizawa" [Pay homage to muralist Luis Nishizawa]. El Informador (in Spanish). Guadalajara, Mexico. April 13, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  11. ^ "Museo-Taller Nishizawa" (in Spanish). Mexico: State of Mexico. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Museo Taller Nishizawa". Sistema de Información Cultural (in Spanish). Mexico: CONACULTA. Retrieved June 4, 2012.