By Luna Lovegood Nov 11, 2004, 0:00 GMT
Long Beach, CA: Rufino Tamayo was born to merchant parents of Zapotec Indian descent. After some time in Mexico City, he lived in New York for 20 years, absorbing modern European art and the artistic styles that were popular outside of Mexico. He often advocated the value of acquiring knowledge from unlimited sources so as to develop a personal form of art. Despite Tamayo’s profound sympathy for the ideals of the Mexican Revolution, he wanted to achieve something different. He felt that the muralists over-emphasized political and social issues at the expense of artistic quality. Tamayo wanted to create art that was non-utilitarian rather than focused on social realism. As such, he helped pioneer a return to easel painting in Mexico.
Throughout his career, Tamayo explored some of the same issues that preoccupied artists worldwide – texture, color, and composition – yet by abstracting the colors and themes of his native land, he composed works that were simultaneously Mexican and universal. Rufino Tamayo is now widely recognized as one of the most influential painters in Mexico and in Latin America, not only for his art but also for his mentoring of young, promising artists. An exhibition of his work will be on display on November 9, 2004 - March 20, 2005
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