Lot Essay
In 1943 Dr. Atl settled in the vicinity of Paricutín, an active volcano that forced the inhabitants of San Juan Parangaricutiro to flee their village. Dr. Atl drew constantly and kept a diary in which he described his experiences. It is at this time that he created several important paintings including Lluvia de Cenizas (collection of the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City) and the one illustrated in this catalogue, Paricutín en Erupción. Dr. Atl, a painter, volcanologist, Utopian and writer, was greatly motivated by the emotions generated by majestic beauty, vibrant colors, the unparalleled strength of natural phenomena, and the extreme impotence of man against nature. He was fascinated by fire and lava and by the frozen peaks of inactive volcanos slumbering under starry skies in windswept nights. "Last night the clouds gathered over the great circle of the horizon, leaving a sparkling clean dome above".
José Gerardo Francisco Murillo Cornadó was born on October 6, 1875 in San Juan de Dios, Guadalajara. At the age of 19 years he changed his name to Dr. Atl, which means water in Nahuatl. The history of Mexican landscape painting in the 20th century would not be the same without his contributions, as he pioneered "cyclorama" vision and what he called "aerial landscape", a technique later adopted by David Alfaro Siqueiros. His training began in Guadalajara and Aguascalientes. Later he went to Mexico City and then Europe, spending most of his time in Italy and France. His 1900 pastel Self Portrait won a silver medal at the Salon des Artistes in Paris and in 1946, Mexico awarded him the Premio Nacional de Arte, which he shared with Julio Castellanos, Frida Kahlo and Francisco Goitia.
The artist had a tempestous and passionate relationship with Carmen Mondragon, whom he baptized with the Náhuatl name Nahui Olin. He lived in the house that used to be the convent of La Merced, where he researched and wrote about popular art, published studies and essays on volcanology, and delved into national politics. Although he claimed to be an anarchist, his attitude was surprisingly conservative, with traces of fascism and racism. It is therefore fair to say that several personalities inhabited the bearded persona behind the restless and alert eyes.
Dra. Teresa del Conde
Mexico City, March, 1995
José Gerardo Francisco Murillo Cornadó was born on October 6, 1875 in San Juan de Dios, Guadalajara. At the age of 19 years he changed his name to Dr. Atl, which means water in Nahuatl. The history of Mexican landscape painting in the 20th century would not be the same without his contributions, as he pioneered "cyclorama" vision and what he called "aerial landscape", a technique later adopted by David Alfaro Siqueiros. His training began in Guadalajara and Aguascalientes. Later he went to Mexico City and then Europe, spending most of his time in Italy and France. His 1900 pastel Self Portrait won a silver medal at the Salon des Artistes in Paris and in 1946, Mexico awarded him the Premio Nacional de Arte, which he shared with Julio Castellanos, Frida Kahlo and Francisco Goitia.
The artist had a tempestous and passionate relationship with Carmen Mondragon, whom he baptized with the Náhuatl name Nahui Olin. He lived in the house that used to be the convent of La Merced, where he researched and wrote about popular art, published studies and essays on volcanology, and delved into national politics. Although he claimed to be an anarchist, his attitude was surprisingly conservative, with traces of fascism and racism. It is therefore fair to say that several personalities inhabited the bearded persona behind the restless and alert eyes.
Dra. Teresa del Conde
Mexico City, March, 1995