Abraham Ángel Card Valdés (March 7, 1905 – October 27, 1924) was a Mexican artist known under his given names ''Abraham Ángel''; he dropped his surnames after his brother Adolfo expelled him from his family home when Abraham Ángel was barely 16.

Life

Abraham Ángel was born in El Oro, State of México, being the youngest of five. His father was Lewis Edward Card Burke (originally Carthburke Beedgar), a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

miner and adventurer, who travelled continuously throughout the country in search of fortune in gold and silver mines. His mother, Francisca Valdez, was from

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

, México. At just 14, she left home to follow Lewis to El Oro and form a family with him. Lewis, a gambler and womanizer, left a few years later, seeing the family again. The older brother, Adolfo, became head of the family, which left in search of a better life to

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

, Mexico, where Abraham Ángel spent his childhood. At age 11 he moved to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

with his mother, his sister Amelia, and his older brother Adolfo, who remained in charge. Abraham Ángel was raised in a strict

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

environment, the religion professed by his father, which had been energetically adopted by his brother Adolfo. At age 16, Abraham Ángel decided to attend art and painting studies at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (also known as

Academia de San Carlos An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

), a decision met with absolute opposition from his brother Adolfo. Abraham Ángel refused to comply, so he ended up being expelled from his home to the astonishment and sadness of his mother and sister. It was 1921, and Abraham Ángel had already met

Manuel Rodríguez Lozano Manuel Rodríguez Lozano (December 4, 1896 – March 27, 1971) was a Mexican painter, known for his “melancholy” depiction of Mexico rather than the more dominant political or festive one of the Mexican muralism movement. This is especially ...

, his tutor, with whom he had an intense

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

affair, and who gave lessons in drawing based on the methods of

Adolfo Best Maugard Adolfo Best Maugard, also known as Fito Best (June 11, 1891 – August 25, 1964),
(Spanish), ...

.''Abraham Angel Card''
Art Encyclopedia. In that difficult moment Abraham Ángel decided to drop his surname and move to his lover's home. A couple of years later, Lozano chose another young artist,

Julio Castellanos Julio Castellanos González (October 3, 1905 – July 16, 1947) was a Mexican painter and engraver. Biography Born on October 3, 1905, in Mexico City, Castellanos matriculated the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1918, where he studied unde ...

, as his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

, and abandoned Abraham Ángel. Humiliated and depressed, he was found dead on October 27, 1924, from a

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

overdose, either an accident or suicide. His scarce works, numbering around 30 known paintings, are highly appreciated and valued by museums and art collectors.

List of works

* ''Amelia'' * ''Autoretrato'' (1923) * ''La Bañadora'' * ''El Cadete'' * ''La Chica'' (1924) * ''La Chica de la Ventana'' * ''Concepción'' (1921) * ''Concha'' * ''Retrato de Señorita Esperanza Crespo'', aka ''Cristina'' * ''La India'' * ''La Familia'' * ''La Mulita'' (1923) * ''Lupe y Maria'' * ''Retrato de Manuel Rodriguez Lozano'' * ''Me Mato'' * ''La Mesera'' (circa 1923) * ''Los Novios'' * ''Paisaje Cuernavaca'' * ''Paisaje Cuernavaca'' (there are two) * ''Paisaje Ixtapalapa'' * ''Paisaje Tepito'' * ''Retrato'' * ''Serpiente'' * ''Tesis '' * ''Retrato de Hugo Tilghman'' (1924)

References

External links

Arte-Mexico
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angel, Abraham 1905 births 1924 deaths 20th-century Mexican painters 20th-century Mexican male artists Mexican male painters Mexican people of Welsh descent People from El Oro (México) Bisexual painters Bisexual male artists Mexican bisexual men Mexican LGBTQ painters Drug-related deaths in Mexico 20th-century Mexican LGBTQ people