Manuel Hernández Acevedo
Aguas Buenas, PR, 1921 - San Juan, PR, 1988
Aguas Buenas, PR, 1921 - San Juan, PR, 1988
Painter and printmaker. Hernández Acevedo came from a very humble family, left school after the fourth grade, and worked as a shoemaker, assistant sign maker, and cook. In 1947 he entered the Graphic Arts Workshop of Division de Educación a la Comunidad (DivEdCo) and under the encouragement of American graphic artist Irene Delano, who was then the director of the Workshop, he learned silk-screening and began to paint, for which he had a natural talent. A simple, honest man, in his paintings Hernández Acevedo favored scenes of streets and houses in Old San Juan, in which such characteristic features of the old city as light posts, power lines and kites are frequent images. He also illustrated historical events such as the inauguration of Luis Muñoz Marín in 1948. His placement of pictorial elements in the composition, his keen eye for detail, the simplicity of subjects and shapes, and the variety of light and color have made him one of the main representatives of Art Naïf in Puerto Rico.
“His humbled and honorable character was conveyed through his paintings, categorized as primitive for their spontaneous character and the simplicity of themes, forms and variety of light and color. His favorite scenes were the streets and houses of Old San Juan, where very peculiar details of the city such as light posts, power lines and kites can be appreciated”.
Source: The Treasures of Puerto Rican Painting, Puerto Rico Museum of Art, 2000
1947-1949
1949-1977
1985
1981
1976
1959
1953
2013
2007
1992
1987
1985
1981
1980
1979
1977
1976
1973
1972
1971
1970
1966
1963
1959
1958
1957
1956
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.