Collection

Painter, draftsman and professor. He studied with artists Horacio Castaing, Librado Net and Miguel Pou, all from Ponce. In 1934 he settled in New York and in 1942 he joined the armed forces. He studied art at the Art Students League of New York from 1950 to 1953, where he was a pupil of Reginald Marsh and Robert Brackman, among others. Upon his return to Puerto Rico, he joined the printmaking workshop of the Community Education Division, where he worked as an illustrator until 1963. Subsequently, he returned to Ponce to devote himself completely to painting and to teaching art. He was recognized with the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Grant (1957) and was awarded first prize in watercolors by the Ateneo Puertorriqueño (1963), among others. His exhibitions include those presented at the Museum of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (1964), the Ateneo Puertorriqueño (1970) and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (1978). His work addresses the costumbrista theme, depicting scenes of the Puerto Rican folklore and landscape. Inspired by his native city of Ponce, he painted pictures of the bomba and plena dances (percussion‑driven dances with distinct rhythms of African traditions), the carnival and the coastal landscape. His work is characterized by the sobriety in his use of color and his flowing and expressive brush strokes.