Laura Rodig (, Laura del Tránsito Pizarro; September 7, 1896 - October 30, 1972) was a Chilean painter, sculptor, illustrator and educator. She was one of the leaders of the

Pro-Emancipation Movement of Chilean Women Pro-Emancipation Movement of Chilean Women () (often known as MEMCh or MEMCH) was both a historic women's rights organization, which pressed for equality between 1935 and 1953 and a current umbrella organization reorganized in 1983 to organize other ...

(MEMCH).

Biography

She was born in

Los Andes, Chile Los Andes, founded on July 31, 1791 as Santa Rosa de Los Andes, is a Chilean List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the Province of Los Andes, Chile, province of the same name, in Valparaíso Region ("Fifth Reg ...

on September 7, 1896, to Tránsito Pizarro and an unnamed father, according to the Civil Register of Births in that city. Over time she subtracted various years from her birthday before she finally settled on June 7, 1901, which was the same year as when her mother married Alejandro Rodig, a pharmacist."Chile, bautismos, 1585-1932", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FJGP-WRW : 14 February 2020), Laura del Transito Pizarro, 1896; y Horan, Elizabeth (2023). ''Mistral una vida''. Santiago: Penguin Random Lumen, pp. 252-253 At the age of 17 she entered the School of Fine Arts of the

University of Chile The University of Chile () is a public university, public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

; she later claimed that she was promoted by the diplomat Pedro Felipe Iñíguez, who discovered her talent. As a student, she stood out for her rebellious spirit against the academic impositions of her teachers, among whom was Virginio Arias. She was expelled from the school for some caricatures she made of him,"El álbum que retrata a las primeras pioneras del siglo XX". ''El Mercurio''. 20 November 2011. p. Artes y Letras. but thanks to the teacher,

Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor y Zaragoza Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor y Zaragoza (September 25, 1875 – March 17, 1960) was a Galician (Spanish) painter. Biography Álvarez de Sotomayor was born in Ferrol. He studied at the Colegio Mª Cristina in El Escorial and at the age of 1 ...

, who requested her re-entry, she was granted a workshop in a building of the same School. Rodig was a founder of the Chilean Association of Painters and Sculptors, as well as being one of the first Chilean artists to promote social art and raise awareness about indigenous ancestors. She was also a prominent political activist, she was part of the

Communist Party of Chile The Communist Party of Chile (, ) is a communist party in Chile. It was founded in 1912 as the Socialist Workers' Party () and adopted its current name in 1922. The party established a youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile (, JJ.CC), in 1932. ...

and one of the leaders of MEMCH. During her stay in Europe, she was also part of the International Red Aid,Cortés Aliaga, Gloria (2013). "Modernas: Historias de mujeres en el arte chileno (1900-1950)". Origo. p. 80. and in Chile she joined the "Alliance of Intellectuals" who supported the Spanish Republic during the Civil War, in 1938. Parallel to her artistic career, she developed her vocation as an educator, taking and teaching drawing and visual arts classes. She died in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, October 30, 1972.

Awards

She received the

National Prize of Art of Chile The National Prize of Art of Chile, was created on November 9, 1942. It was awarded yearly since 1944 and alternated the mention among Painting or Sculpture, Music and Theatre. In 1992, it was replaced by the National Prize of Chile, National Prize ...

in 1949.

Works in public collections

* ''Salitreros'' (Oil on canvas, ca. 1936, 80 x 90 cm. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago de Chile.) * ''Tipos mexicanos 1'' (Oil on canvas, 80 x 66 cm. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago de Chile.) * ''Tipos mexicanos 2'' (Oil on canvas, 80 x 66 cm. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago de Chile.) * ''Columnas de sueño'' (Oil on canvas, 46 x 38 cm. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago de Chile.) * ''Desnudo de mujer'' (Oil on canvas, 80 x 67 cm. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago de Chile.) * ''Maternidad'' (Sculpture, 1950, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile.) * ''Retrato I'' (Bronze sculpture, 1949, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile.)

Individual expositions

* 1924, Galería de Arte, Madrid, Spain. * 1930, Salón del Trocadero, del Palacio de las Américas, París, France. * 1963, Figurativa Laura Rodig, Sala de Previsión del Banco de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

References

External links

Laura Rodig
at portaldearte.cl
Laura Rodig
at artistasplasticoschilenos.cl

at artistasvisualeschilenos.cl {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodig, Laura 1896 births 1972 deaths 20th-century Chilean painters Chilean women painters Chilean sculptors Chilean women sculptors Chilean illustrators Chilean women illustrators 20th-century Chilean educators 20th-century women educators Chilean feminists University of Chile alumni People from Los Andes Province, Chile Communist Party of Chile