Epifanio “Fano” Irizarry Jusino (7 April 1915 - 3 November 2001) was a Puerto Rican oil canvas

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawi ...

, and art

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

from

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...

. He exposed

Costumbrismo ''Costumbrismo'' (in Catalan: ''costumisme''; sometimes anglicized as costumbrism, with the adjectival form costumbrist) is the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic sce ...

practices of his native

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, including bomba and

plena Plena is a genre of music and dance native to Puerto Rico. Origins The plena genre originated in Barrio San Antón, Ponce, Puerto Rico, around 1900. It was influenced by the bomba style of music. Originally, sung texts were not associated wit ...

dances,

cockfight Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term ...

ing and

carnivals Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

. During his professional lifetime, he exhibited in Puerto Rico, the United States as well as Europe, some of which were

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

, and he was the winner of various prestigious awards.

Early years

Epifanio “Fano” Irizarry was born on 7 April 1915 on Calle Petardo in Clausells sector in Ponce. His parents were Ramón Irizarry, a

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who repairs shoes * Cobbler (food), a type of pie Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * ''The Cobbler' ...

, and Epifania Jusino, a homemaker. Since very young he showed an affinity for the arts and was encouraged to excel in painting by his father. He began his art studies with Inés Toro, and later was a student of Horacio Castaing,

Librado Net Librado Net Pérez (1895-1964) was a Puerto Rican musician, educator and painter from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was the first director of the Escuela Libre de Música de Ponce, considered the best of Puerto Rico's free Music Schools at the time. ...

and

Miguel Pou Miguel Pou Becerra (24 August 1880 – 6 May 1968) was a Puerto Rican oil canvas painter, draftsman, and art professor. Together with José Campeche and Francisco Oller, he has been called "one of Puerto Rico's greatest masters." He was an ...

. In 1934 he moved to New York City where he took on various forms of employment and in 1941 he entered the United States Armed Forces. During his enlisted years he studied perspective in Germany and art at the Freilassing Art Academy,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, Germany, as well as at the

Bavarian National Museum The Bavarian National Museum () in Munich is one of the most important museums of decorative arts in Europe and List of largest art museums, one of the largest art museums in Germany. Since the beginning the collection has been divided into two ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. He also lived in Paris,

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, and

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

, France as well as in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

Schooling and career work

In the 1950s he studied at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

under Reginald Marsh and

Robert Brackman Robert Brackman (September 25, 1898 – July 16, 1980) was an American artist and teacher, best known for large figural works, portraits, and still lifes. Biography Robert Brackman was born on September 25, 1898, in Odessa, Russian Empire (no ...

. He returned to Puerto Rico, and joined Taller de Gráfica of the División de Educación de la Comunidad where he was an illustrator until 1963. Subsequently, he returned to Ponce where he dedicated his time to his paintings and to art education. Some of his most outstanding students were Rigoberto Lucca Irizarry (1951–) and Ramón Luis Román (1949–). "Irizarry was a genius in addition to a painter who with his art he memorialized into eternity the Puerto Rican

through themes like the bomba and

dances, cockfighting and

Paso Fino The Paso Fino is a naturally gaited light horse breed dating back to horses imported to the Caribbean from Spain. ''Pasos'' are prized for their smooth, natural, four-beat, lateral ambling gait; they are used in many disciplines, but are especi ...

horses."

Style and characteristics

Art critics describe his stroke as broad, energetic, free style and expressive. They define his paintings as reflecting life and movement. With respect to his use of color some critics point out to the liveliness and multiplicity of his tones, while others stress his sobriety and monochromatic style. His ''Marinas y Veleros'' watercolors are a witness to the passion that Irizarry had for the sea and the shore.

Wichie Torres Wichie Torres (29 March 1952 – 7 February 2020) was a Puerto Rican oil canvas painter. He was an exponent of the costumbrismo movement. He is also the first person in the Central America and Caribbean region to have ever undergone two indepe ...

stated that Irizarry was not only a lover of art but of opera music as well: "He loved to sing opera, and was good at it. So part of his daily ritual while painting was playing classical music and signing along in loud voice...Curiously, Irizarry never had a telephone. The reason was that he didn't want anyone interrupting him during his creative painting process."

Paintings

Irizarry's works are preserved at the

Museo de Arte de Ponce Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of Art of Eur ...

, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico,

Riverside Art Museum Riverside Art Museum is an art museum in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California. The museum is a non-profit organization which focuses on addressing social issues and offers art classes as well as other events in order to in ...

in New York City, Instituto de Cultura de Madrid In Spain, and in private collections in Puerto Rico, United States, and Europe. Among his outstanding works are: * Baile de Bomba II (1951) * Veleros (1957) * Caras (1959) * Feria de Caballos (1959) * Baile de Bomba núm. 1 (1959) * Pescadores de Muelles (1964) * Flamboyan" (1972) * La Bomba (1972) * El Palo encebao (n.d.)

Honors and legacy

During his successful art career he received awards from the

Ateneo Puertorriqueño The Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum) is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second c ...

and the

Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña The ''Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña'' (), or ICP for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preserve, promote, enrich, and diffuse ...

as well as being the recipient of the National Academy Museum and School Award and the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Grant. The Ponce School of Fine Arts has an art gallery named after Irizarry. He is also honored at Ponce's Park of the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. Irizarry died on 3 November 2001 in his native Ponce, Puerto Rico.''Epifanio Irizarry.''
Artist Directory. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2016. Accessed 27 April 2016. He was 87 years old.

Notes

References

*''Introducción a la pintura puertorriqueña''. San Juan: Editorial Art, 1968. *''Pintores Contemporáneos de Puerto Rico''. San Juan: Ediciones Artísticas de Puerto Rico, ca. 1969. *Bloch, Peter. ''Painting and Sculpture of the Puerto Ricans''. New York: Plus Ultra Educational Publications, 1978. *Delgado, Osiris. "Artes Plásticas, Historia de la cultura puertorriqueña". ''La Gran Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico'', Tomo VIII. Madrid: Ediciones R, 1976. *''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. *Traba, Marta. ''Propuesta polémica sobre arte puertorriqueño''. San Juan: Ediciones Cordillera, 1971. *Kaiden, Nina; Soto, Pedro Juan; Vladimir, Andrew. ''Puerto Rico: La Nueva Vida''. New York: Renaissance Editions, 1966.

Newspapers

*“22 Boricuas exhibirán en Filadelfia”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 26 September 1955. *“Artistas exponen sus cuadros en el Ateneo”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 18 August 1950. *“Casa del Arte abre exposición de pinturas y dibujos del pintor puertorriqueño Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 8 January 1965. *“Colección de arte para el pueblo”. ''La Perla del Sur'' (Ponce, PR), 19 February 1997. *“Dan el laudo en certamen de pintura”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 18 May 1955. *“El Instituto de Cultura inicia hoy exposición obras de Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 14 June 1963. *“Elogian Oleos Expuso Boricua en Galería NY”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 26 May 1958. *“En el Ateneo, Entregan Hoy Premios Certámenes de Navidad”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 14 December 1957. *“En Galería del Ateneo expone Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 29 February 1964. *“En UPR, Epifanio Irizarry, Ofrecerá exhibición de pinturas”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 12 January 1959. *“Epifanio Irizarry es Promesa Entre Alumnos de Miguel Pou”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 12 September 1951. *“Epifanio Irizarry gana 2do premio concurso pintura y grabado 1956 con sed auspiciado por Ateneo Puertorriqueño”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 13 December 1956. *“Epifanio Irizarry monta exposición en Museo UPR”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 28 December 1963. *“Epifanio Irizarry, pintor de PR”. ''La Prensa'' (Nueva York, NY), 11 May 1958. *“Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Día'' (San Juan, PR), 22 August 1957. *“Exponen obras del pintor Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 14 June 1967. *“Exposición de pinturas de Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 6 July 1963. *“Inauguran Exposición colectiva de Pintura Puertorriqueña”. El Mundo (San Juan, PR), 12 April 1957. *“Inauguran Exposición de Arte”, El Mundo(San Juan, PR), 26 January 1966. *“Pintor ponceño estudiará en EU, Es promesa entre alumnos de Miguel Pou, Asistirá a la Liga de Arte y luego irá a Italia”. El Mundo (San Juan, PR), 13 September 1950. *“Premian cuadros en Instituto”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 11 February 1959. *Ayoroa Santaliz, José Enrique. “Galería de Arte de Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Debate'', 14 February 1964. *Bertoli Rigel, Juan. “Hablando con el pintor Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Día'' (San Juan, PR), 31 August 1957. *Cabanillas, Iris. “Abren hoy exposición Epifanio Irizarry con 60 óleos, 23 dibujos y 6 grabado”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 20 February 1959. *Cabrera, Alba Raquel. “Hasta el 30. Obras de Epifanio Irizarry siguen expuestas en el Ateneo”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 25 March 1964. *Cancel Hernández, F. “Oleos y Acuarelas, Pintor Epifanio Irizarry Inaugura Exposición Hoy”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 5 May 1956. *Coates, Robert. “The Art Galleries”. ''The New Yorker'' (New York, NY), 26 January 1957, p. 81. *Meyners, Benjamin. “Inauguran Exposición de Pintores en la Isla”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 9 January 1957. *Rosa. S. “Instalación de murales en fábrica CFI que dirige Carlos M. Passalacqua”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 11 August 1954. *Skerrett, Lillian. “Oleos, Acuarelas, Dibujos Pintor Epifanio Irizarry monta exposición en SJ”, ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 15 January 1965. *Soltero, N. “Pintor boricua monta en NY una exposición”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 6 May 1958. *Varela, Luis. “Fallece pintor Epifanio Irizarry”. ''El Nuevo Día'' (San Juan, PR), 4 November 2001. *Vidal Armstrong, Mariano. “Epifanio Irizarry el pintor ponceño de viaje por Méjico”. ''El Día'' (Ponce, PR), 1 December 1960. *Vientos Gastón, Nilita. “Indice Cultural”. ''El Mundo'' (San Juan, PR), 9 February 1957.

External links

Interview with Irizarry (1993)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irizarry, Epifanio 1915 births 2001 deaths Puerto Rican painters Painters from Ponce Art Students League of New York alumni