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Santiago Martinez Delgado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Santiago Martinez Delgado (1906 – 1954) was a premier Colombian muralist, writer, historian, sculptor, and a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Born in 1906 in Bogotá Colombia, Master Martinez Delgado, established his reputation as the most prominent muralist in Colombia during the 1940’s. He was a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright from whom it got his Art Deco style.
He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts under the tutoring of Ruth VanSickle Ford, in 1933 was awarded the Logan Medal of the arts for the mural he did at the Chicago International Fair Century of Progress. He spent time at Taliesin with the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellows, and did some illustrations for Esquire Magazine during the 1930s.
Back in Colombia he won the gold medal in the 1940 Salón de Artistas Colombianos, also won the first Price in 1941.
In 1947 Martinez Delgado Painted the Elliptic room Mural, at the Colombian Congress Building, considered the most important Mural in the nation; He was awarded La Orden De Boyaca (Colombia’s highest honor) for his work in the mural.
As Master Martinez was working on the largest Canvas in South America commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller for the Bank of NY(City Bank) Building in Bogotá; the master passed away at the early age of 47 just when he was at the top of the Latin-American fine arts arena.
His pieces rarely come to the market, Only 4 of his paintings have been sold in the last 30 years, making him one of the hardest XX century Latin-American Artist to collect.
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1906 – Born in Bogotá, Colombia in the home of Luis Martinez Silva and Mercedes Mallarino de Delgado. He started his education under the tutoring of don Martín Restrepo Mejía and his high school at San Bartolomé. He also joined courses at the fine arts school under the tutoring of the Master Roberto Pizano.
1925 – to health issues he traveled to Cartagena, there he directed and illustrated some pages at the newspaper "La Patria". He used a fabricated name of "Sanmardel".
1926 – Travel to Chicago where he studied and worked for over five years at the Fine Arts Institute of Chicago under the tutoring of Ruth VanSickle Ford and Hugh M. Neuman.
1928 – He started a friendship and professional relation with Frank Lloyd Wright, who commissioned Martinez to do some tainted Glass work, Wood carvings and some paintings. Wright found the Masters lines to be elegant and his attitude gracious; Martinez spends time over the years at Taliesin where along with other of Wrght’s protégées they discussed about art, architecture and other cultural issues. Among his friend from Taliesin is Charles Morgan who visited him latter in life in Bogotá.
1929 – He won the very competitive art contest of the Latham Foundation; He won the first prize on the best ad by the US Federation of Commercial Artists. He obtains second place in the art interpretation contest of the “The Chicago Tribune”.
1933 – He won the Logan medal, for his mural of the Colombian evolution at the Chicago International World Fair and exposition.
1934 – He returns to Colombia with an innovative collection at the an vanguard of the country.
1935 – He made the linen of the Theater Municipal of Bogotá (missing), titled "the triumph of comedy over tragedy".
1936 – He founded the course of arte and decoration at the Universidad Javeriana femenina.
1937 - 1940. He made various drawings for the Magazine PAN, directed by the Colombian intellectual Uribe White. He also directed the magazine Revista Vida, he illustrated countless front pages living an idea of his line and incredible talent. This magazine was a monthly magazine of the Colombian National Insurance Company, he interviewed his dear friend Gabriela Mistral, at Columbia University in New York for the magazine.
1938 – Martinez who was an avid historian and a protector of the Colombian artistic heritage; Found and old painting broken in two and left to collapse, but he recognized at the spot that it may be by Raphael de Urbino; after a hated debate and much research and debate called (THE DILEMA OF THE MADONNA OF BOGOTA) Martinez Delgado manages to prove by the way of provenance of the piece, X rays and detail forensic work that is indeed an original painting by Raphael; shortly he takes the piece to New York where experts form the Metropolitan, the Chicago Art Institute and lourve among them were: Daniel Catton, Rich A. Sweet, Ruber H. Clark, Leo A. Marzolo, Adolfo Venturiy, Wilhelm Valentiner. Confirm that is indeed and original Ráphael and is included in the artist catalog as the Madonna of Bogotá. The news of the find, when around the World.La Madonna de Bogota (Raphael)
1940 – Participated in the first Salón de Artistas Colombianos where he won the Gold Medal with the oil on canvas "El que volvió".
1941 – Participated in the second Salón de Artistas Colombianos and won the first price with his oil on canvas of his Mother and wife Leonor Concha de Martinez. (This piece is in the Colombian National Museum)
1943 – He made the mural of the school Presentación of Chapinero, he made extensive research for this piece. Master Ramos helped him living him some indications.
1945 - 1946. Collaborated with América Magazine, with drawings to illustrated the front pages.
1945 – Illustrated the biography about Sucre realized by Carlos Arturo Caparroso. (Editorial Horizontes,Bogotá). That year he was designated as Member of the Historic Academy of Bogotá.
1946 – Publish in the magazine América (# 24, December), an article about the life of Christ and the costumes of Palestine, where he explain his research for the 12 stations he made for the Catedral de San José, of heroic proportions.
1946 – Participated at the VII Salón Anual de Artistas Colombianos with the oil on canvas "Alzamiento de Cristo".
1947 - he did, by commission of the then director of the OEA, Honorable Alberto Lleras Camargo and Inter American Conference organizer the Honorable Laureano Gomez, the mural of the Elliptic chamber National Congress Building. For that Mr. Martinez became the premier historian on Bolivar and his army. He finished the fresco in time for the Inter American conference but during the Bogotazo a mob almost burned the capitol. General George Marshall of the US called the piece a wonder of contemporary art. Master Martinez was given the Cruz de Boyacá award by President Mariano Ospina Perez.
1948 – Founded his own commercial art office. In there he made various traded like radio producer. He wrote and directed the dramatization of scripts. He presented the Novel “soap opera” Virrey Solis, that broke all the ratings for the year also made plays like "Estampas Místicas de la tierra del Señor"; "Juan Manuel el Gavilán" (inedited) and many more.
1953 – Started to Saint an oil on canvas of 8 x 4 meters for the Hall of the national City Bank of Bogotá, He died before finish it. But it was set on the Bank as is and it remained the largest oil on canvas in Colombia, Nelson Rockefeller and his brothers ask to be kept there.
1954 - January 12. Died in the hacienda "El Molino", victim of a stroke.
1954 - August 3. The National Museum, with the collaboration of the Education Ministry, organized an exposition in his honor.
Title: Ensayo iconográfico del gran mariscal de Ayacucho Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial:Bogotá : Ediciones de Santiago Martínez Delgado Year: 1945
Title: In memoriam Belisario Caicedo González Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial: Cali : Carvajal year: 19--
Title: A. J. de Sucre Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial: Bogotá : Tip. Prag Year: 1945
Title: A propósito de don Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial: Bogota Vida Year: 1941
Title: El arte y la ciencia Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial:Bogota Vida Year: 1942
Title: Bolívar Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial: Santiago Martinez Edicion numerada 100 Year: 1944
Title:Carlos Polanco : discípulo de Zurbarán Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial:Bogota Vida Year:1939
Title:La casa colombiana : decoración de interiores Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial:Bogota Sabado Year: 1944
Title:El crimen de Berruecos Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial:Bogota Vida Year: 1942
Title:El tigre Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial:Bogota Vida year:1936
Title: Una reseña iconográfica del ejército y de las armas libertadoras Autor: Santiago Martinez Delgado Editorial: Bogota Tipografia Praga year: 1944
- "Martinez, Delgado". Encyclopaedia de arte de Colombia. (1986).
- Pineros, Joaquin. "Santiago Martinez Delgado el Humanista,": 1-70.
- Gehr, Pablo. Santiago Martinez Delgado- From the Author of this article - About Martinez Delgado and his Work. Arte Colombia. Retrieved on January 2, 2007.