Arturo Fort
San Juan, PR, 1879- 1966
Biography Details
Painter. Manuel Fernández Juncos considered him a disciple of Francisco Oller, along with Manuel Jordán and Jacinto Laborde, by the similarity of their seascapes. Although he primarily cultivated landscapes, his pictorial work is not very extensive since he did not devote himself completely into painting. Despite that, he managed to have his work acknowledged by the art world of the time, by receiving an award for his work Costa de Luquillo (1907) in a competition at Casino Español (Spanish Casino), and a Bronze Medal in the Art Competition at Ateneo Puertorriqueño in 1908. In that same competition Francisco Oller received the Gold Medal.
Artist Statement
"Arturo Fort was one of Francisco Oller’s most gifted students at the Escuela de Dibujo Integrada a la de Artes y Oficios de la Municipalidad de San Juan (School of Drawing Integrated within the Arts and Crafts from the Municipality of San Juan). While there’s hardly any work to prove it, critical reviews from the time state that, when he was very young, he copied the teacher very well, "in the clarity of the seascapes and in the drawing of the palms". However, Fort was not consistent in his dedication at pictorial art, which he abandoned for other professional duties. In 1908 he was awarded with a Medal from the Ateneo Puertorriqueño for his work, Seascape, whose whereabouts we do not know. "
Osiris Delgado, 2007
Formation
Education
n.d.
- Disciple of Francisco Oller, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Professional Experience
1917-1922
- Manager. Banco Comercial de Puerto Rico, Arecibo, Bayamón, Cayey Branches, Puerto Rico
1900-1907
- Messenger collector. American Colonial Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1898
- Telegraph Operator. San Juan Central Office, San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
1908
- Bronze Medal. Ateneo Puertorriqueño, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1907
- Award. “Costa de Luquillo” Painting, Casino Español, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Collections
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Books
Hermandad de Artistas Gráficos de Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Arte e Identidad. San Juan, P.R.: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1998.
Los tesoros de la pintura puertorriqueña. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. San Juan, P.R. 2000.