Elmina Moisan (1897-1938) was a Chilean painter remembered in the historiography as part of the

Generación del 13 Generación del 13 (Generación del Trece; The 13 Generation) was Chile's first painter collective. Its name derives from the year 1913, after a joint exhibition was held at the Salon (gathering), ''Salon'' of the Chilean newspaper ''El Mercurio' ...

. She has been called the "female artist who has painted the best in Chile"."Bellas Artes. Exposición retrospectiva de La Alhambra". ''La Nación''. 29 December 1951.

Biography

Elmina Moisan was born in

Quillota Quillota is a city located in the valley of the Aconcagua River in Valparaíso Region, Chile. It is the capital and largest city of Quillota Province. It is surrounded by the localities of San Isidro, La Palma, Pocochay, and San Pedro. It is ...

, 1897. Of French descent, Moisan entered the School of Fine Arts in 1912, being a student of the Spanish painter

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 ...

and Ricardo Richon Brunet. After receiving her teaching degree with a major in visual arts, she taught at the Liceo de Chicas N ° 4 in Santiago. Her works are mainly portraits, scenes of customs, landscapes and still lifes made with a subtle and quite personal style. Her painting, ''La coqueta'' (1916), won the first medal in the official salon of Santiago, in 1919. She married the painter Otto Georgi in 1926, who was also a member of the Generación del 13.

Death and legacy

In 1938, the government of Chile invited Moisan to exhibit and study in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, Peru. During her trip, she contracted

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, a situation that forced her to return to Chile where, after a month of illness, she died in the city of

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 ...

. The city of

Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...

O'Higgins Region The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region (, ), often shortened to O'Higgins Region (), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquel ...

, a street bears the name of Elmina Moisan.

Selected works in public collections

* ''Interior'', Óleo sobre tela, 115 x 90 cm. 1926. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Santiago de Chile. * ''La coqueta'', Óleo sobre tela, 53 x 62 cm. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Santiago de Chile. * ''Cabeza de vieja'', Óleo sobre tela, 40 x 36 cm. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Santiago de Chile. * ''Desnudo'', Óleo sobre tela, 66 x 44 cm. Pinacoteca Universidad de Concepción.

Awards

* 1936 - First Prize, Official Hall of Santiago. * 1929 - Gold Medal, Ibero-American Exhibition in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. * 1923 - Portrait Award, Official Hall of Santiago. * 1920 - Second Medal in Drawing, Official Hall of Santiago. * 1919 - First Medal, Official Hall of Santiago. * 1919 - Prize of Honor, Certamen Edwards, Santiago. * 1916 - Second Medal, Official Hall of Santiago. * 1916 - Customs Award, Certamen Edwards, Santiago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moisan, Elmina 1897 births 1938 deaths 20th-century Chilean painters People from Quillota Streets in Chile Deaths from malaria 20th-century Chilean women painters