Francisco Arturo Michelena Castillo (; 16 June 1863 – 29 July 1898) was a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n painter known for his historical and

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

scenes and portraits.

Biography

His father, Juan Antonio Michelena (1832-1918) was also a painter. His mother, Socorro Castillo (1839-1909), was the daughter of the muralist, . He began to paint at a very early age, with lessons from his father. In 1874, aged only eleven, he drew the illustrations for the American edition of ''Costumbres Venezolanas'' (Venezuelan Customs) by the journalist Francisco de Sales Pérez (1836-1926), who became his sponsor and introduced him to the circle of influential people associated with the statesman,

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for , from 1870 until 1877, from 1879 until 1884, and from 1886 until 1 ...

, in hopes of getting him a scholarship.Planchart, Enrique (1979). ''La pintura en Venezuela''. Caracas: Equinoccio. p. 30. Later, he received lessons from a French emigrant painter named Constanza de Sauvage, who had been a student of

Eugène Devéria Eugène François Marie Joseph Devéria (22 April 1805, in Paris – 3 February 1865, in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau) was a French Romanticism, Romantic history painter, portraitist and muralist. Biography He was one of five children born ...

. From 1879 to 1882, he and his father operated a private painting academy in Valencia; fulfilling orders for portraits, wall paintings and copies of the

Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

. In 1883, this exposure enabled him to enter two paintings in the "Great Exhibition of the Centennial of the Birth of El Libertador" (

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

), where he was awarded a silver medal.Bargalló Cervelló, Pedro, (1967): ''Arturo Michelena''. Banco Industrial de Venezuela, Caracas Two years later, he was awarded a government grant to study in Europe. He travelled to Paris, in the company of

Martín Tovar y Tovar Martín Tovar y Tovar (10 February 1827 – 17 December 1902) was a Venezuelan painter, best known for his portraits and historical scenes. Biography Tovar was born and died in Caracas. His father, Antonio María Tovar (1791–1860), was a fo ...

, where he enrolled at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

and took lessons from

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a romanticism French painter and sculptor, and he is one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon ...

. Encouraged by Laurens, he entered the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

of 1887 with a painting called "The Sick Child", which was awarded a gold medal in the second class; the highest honor awarded to a foreigner up to that time. Years later, the painting was acquired by the

Astor family The Astor family achieved prominence in business sector, business, Socialite, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With Germans, German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to th ...

and taken to New York. He received another gold medal at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The of 1889 (), better known in English as the 1889 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 6 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fifth of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more t ...

for his depiction of

Charlotte Corday Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont (27 July 1768 – 17 July 1793), known simply as Charlotte Corday (), was a figure of the French Revolution who assassinated revolutionary and Jacobins, Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat on 13 July 1793. Cor ...

headed to the gallows. That same year, he suddenly returned to Venezuela and, shortly after, married , a well known art collector. After that, he and his bride returned to Paris. In 1890, he was hired to provide illustrations for '' Hernani'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

. He also received a commission from the Venezuelan government, to create a work that would be presented to the city of New York, in thanks for the hospitality shown to General

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the president of Venezuela three times. The first as the 5th president from 1830 to 1835, the second as the 8th president ...

, during his exile there. He produced "Vuelvan Caras" (About Face), depicting the General at the Battle of Las Queseras del Medio. He contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1892 and, on the advice of his doctors, returned once again to Venezuela. There, he painted fashion portraits and was named the official painter to President Joaquín Crespo; receiving a major commission to paint decorations at the

Palacio de Miraflores The Miraflores Palace (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Palacio de Miraflores'') is the official dispatch and head office of the President of Venezuela. It is located on Urdaneta Avenue, Libertador Bolivarian Municipality in Caracas. History Cons ...

, the official residence.Rafael Romero, ''Genio y gloria de Arturo Michelena'', 1998, Fundación Galería de Arte Nacional He died of his tuberculosis in 1898, aged only thirty-five, leaving numerous works unfinished.

Gallery

File:Miranda en la Carraca by Arturo Michelena.jpg, '' Miranda in La Carraca'', 1896 File:El niño enfermo. Paris 1886 by Arturo Michelena.jpg, ''The Sick Child'', 1886 File:Carlota Corday 1889 by Arturo Michelena.jpg, ''

'', 1889 File:Lastenia Tello de Michelena by Arturo Michelena.jpg, Portrait of his wife, Lastenia, 1890 File:Muerte de Sucre en Berruecos 1895 by Arturo Michelena.JPG, ''Death of

Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...

in Berruecos'', 1895 File:Vuelvan caras.jpg, ''Vuelvan Caras'' (''About Face'') File:La Joven Madre 1889 by Arturo Michelena.jpg, ''La Joven Madre'' (''The Young Mother''), 1889

References

External links

More works by Michelena
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Michelena, Arturo 1863 births 1898 deaths Académie Julian alumni Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela People from Valencia, Venezuela 19th-century Venezuelan painters 19th-century male artists Venezuelan male painters