Alberto Gironella (26 September 1929 – 2 August 1999) was a self-taught

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

painter born in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. Heavily influenced by the politics and artist in Mexico, he showcased his works in Brazil, United States, Spain, France, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. In Mexico his works were in the

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to ...

and Museum of Modern Art, and the Carrillo Gil and

Rufino Tamayo Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo (August 25, 1899 – June 24, 1991) was a Mexican painter of Zapotec heritage, born in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.Sullivan, 170-171Ades, 357 Tamayo was active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York, ...

museums. Gironella also illustrated the book '' Terra Nostra'' by

Carlos Fuentes Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (1962), '' Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), ''The Old Gringo'' (1985) and ''Christophe ...

. In 1960 he won the first prize of the

Paris Biennial for Young Painters Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

and the first prize of the Sixth Biennial of São Paulo, Brazil. Several of his later paintings were nudes, including several with either topless or fully naked women on beds either holding a classical guitar or one shown in the background such as ''Sanda as Carmen'' (1985). Gironella, also depicted American singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

in his last years which he considered than more than pop, she is a surrealist. According to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Monterrey, his Madonna series artworks started in 1991. Gironella has left behind a legacy with his artworks and his only known son, Emiliano Garcia, has continued to share his father's works. specifically his father's "Las Meninas" series.

Biography

Alberto Gironella was the son of a Catalan immigrant father and an indigenous mother. He was married to Carmen Parra who was also a Mexican painter to which they had a son, Emiliano Gironella. Not much is known of the particulars of their marriage but Parra continues to work as an artist and their son has followed in his father's footsteps by not only continuing to share his father's artwork and legacy but also by becoming an artist himself. Gironella was often known for taking a liberal approach to both his artwork and his personal life, often being described as stern and reclusive. He spent much of his time at his home in Vallo Bravo near Mexico City, Mexico, and donated his artworks to causes he believed in.

Early training

Gironella began his early career in art through attending the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he studied Spanish Literature and went on to graduate in 1959. Passionate about poetry and literature, Gironella wrote his first and only novel, ''Tiburcio Esquila''. His writing career was short lived, however, after failing to find a publisher. Moving on from this, Gironella began his journey to becoming a well renowned painter. Having attended school for literature and not painting, Gironella received no formal training and was completely self-taught throughout his career. Despite his failure to find publishing for his book, Gironella continued to incorporate his love for writing through founding the political newspaper, ''La Jornada'', in 1984 where he donated numerous artworks.

Career

Looking to express his artistic talents beyond writing, Gironella began his painting career where he was immediately successful and won an award at the

in 1960. Although popular artwork of the time consisted of heavy political agendas like those found in the Mexican Muralism Movement, Gironella did not participate in such agendas. On the contrary, Gironella rejected all art forms that intertwined with politics and became heavily influenced by

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

and baroque portraiture. Shortly after discovering his painting style, Gironella was instrumental in the founding of the avant-garde art gallery, Galería Prisse, along with fellow Mexican artist

Vlady Kibalchich Rusakov Vladimir Victorovich Kibalchich Rusakov (russian: Владимир Викторович Кибальчич; June 15, 1920 – July 21, 2005) was a Russian- Mexican painter, known simply as "Vlady" in Mexico. He came to Mexico as a refugee from ...

and Héctor Xavier. Galería Prisse was a major factor in disturbing the political artworks of the time but this did not prevent Gironella from receiving criticism nor the questioning of his style. Gironella's artwork continues to be shared by his son, Emiliano Gironella, and was showcased in the plastic "Forgetting Velázquez. The Meninas" exhibition in Barcelona alongside his favorite artists

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, Velázquez, and

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

in 2008.

Gironella and Surrealism

Gironella was inspired by popular Surrealist artists in Mexico as well as many controversial artists of the Mexican Muralism movement such as David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera. Although surrealism differs drastically from the politically driven muralist movement, Gironella found that both distinct art forms resonated with his need to push creative boundaries. Even though he was a supporter and advocate of more liberal political views, Gironella's impressions of the Mexican Muralism movement led him to believe that art should not be political, rather, it should be representative of one's subconscious mind. By rejecting the politically influenced artistic styles, Gironella found himself captivated by the avant-garde art movement

. Surrealism sought to create art that was representational of the capabilities of the unconscious mind, a polar opposite of the Mexican Muralism Movement. Gironella is said to contribute this fascination with the colorful avant-garde style to deeply rooted memories in his childhood. Recounting that some of his earliest memories being of himself assembling alters with chocolate rappers, vibrant tins, and bottles from the family owed grocery store. This specific inspiration is said to derive from his love of

Leonora Carrington Mary Leonora Carrington (6 April 191725 May 2011) was a British-born Mexican artist, surrealist painter, and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City and was one of the last surviving participants in the surrealist movement of ...

's surrealism that was introduced to the new world in the 1940s, as well as his friendship with the film maker

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...

. Having immersed himself in surrealism, Gironella's artwork caught the attention of the popular French Surrealist artist Andre Breton. During Gironella's first solo exhibition in Paris in 1961, Breton was described to have been enthralled by the artwork, claiming that Gironella's passion and work were proof that surrealism was still alive and strong within the art community. It is important to note, however, that Gironella did not perceive himself solely as a surrealist artist, claiming that he was just as much a baroque artist and labels were not necessary. The fact that not even Gironella himself could pinpoint his exact style could perhaps be said to have been a precursor to future art admirers also not being able to categorize his work. Nonetheless, Gironella's artwork has left a lasting impression on many artist and admirers around the world

Gironella and Baroque

Often categorized as a surrealist artist, Gironella did not like the idea of his work being confined and believed that his artwork was just as much Baroque in style as it was surrealist. Gironella referred to this combination of artistic approaches as "mestizo," a mix between Indigenous and European influences. Primarily focused on Spanish Baroque paintings of the 16th and 17th century, specifically court portraiture, many artists of his time found it difficult to categorize Gironella as a Mexican Surrealist, instead being dismissed as an "international artist" by the Mexican art historian Ida Rodríguez Prampolini. It is important to note that surrealism is not the only artistic style that Gironella used, Baroque style also influenced him in which led him to use renowned artistic works of Spaniard origin and rework them into his own style while incorporating surrealism.

Description of Art

Gironella's combination of surrealism and baroque style can be seen in artworks which also contain favorite subject matters such as court portraiture and symbolic portrayals of death. This unique art is said to be Gironella's version of artistically piecing together Mexico's past and present with the colonization of Mexico by the Spaniard monarchy. The colonial approach is said to have been influenced by his favorite artist such as

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

, and

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...

, all of whom were alive during the colonization of Mexico. Despite the fact that many did not perceive Gironella as an authentic Mexican artist, Gironella frequently pushed back on this perspective because to deny the effect of Spaniard and European influences on Mexico would be to disembody Mexico's cultural identity entirely.

Legacy

In an interview regarding Alberto Gironella's work being showcased in the "Forgetting Velázquez. The Meninas" exhibition in Barcelona, his son, Emiliano Gironella, was pleased to see that his father's work continues to be appreciated by artist and fans all around the world. Believing that his father's work should be a representation of pride for all Mexicans, Gironella also expressed some discontent that there has yet to be a museum dedicated to solely his father's works in his homeland, Mexico. Despite this, Emiliano and his mother, Carmen Parra, continue to lend Gironella's paintings to museums and galleries in other countries to preserve his legacy.

List of Exhibitions

Contemporary Drawings from Latin America The Renaissance Society University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 5 August – 7 September 1959 Alberto Gironella of Mexico Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) Washington, DC. 18 March – 13 April 1959 Alberto Gironella, Televisa. Museo de Arte Moderno (MAM) Mexico City, Mexico 1976 Images of Mexico: The Contribution of Mexico to 20th Century Art Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) Dallas, Texas, 8 August 1988 – 30 October 1988. Puerta a la Eternidad Día de Muertos Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum Chicago, Illinois, 22 September – 10 December 2000. Distorted Forms: Artist from La Raptura Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) Long Beach, California, 6 October 2013 – 23 February 2014. Pas de mur pour l’art! Galerie Thessa Herold Paris, France, 8 April – 6 May 2017. Pop América McNay Art Museum San Antonio, Texas, 4 October 2018 – 13 January 2019. Pop América Nasher Museum San Antonio, Texas, 21 February 2019 – 21 July 2019. Pop América Block Museum, Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois, 21 September 2019 - 8 December 2019. Twist and Roundabouts Around Surrealism National Museum of Art of Romania European Art Gallery, 27 September 2019 – 2 February 2020 Alberto Gironella, Permanent Collection "Al Alimón" Museo Nacional Centro de Arte – Reina Sofia Madrid, Spain. Chronicle of an Instant: Dark Section (Night) Museo de las Artes de la Universidad de Guadalajara Permanent Online Exhibition Permanent Collection, Alberto Gironella "El Gloton" Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) Washington, DC.

References

Book sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gironella, Alberto 1929 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Mexican painters Mexican male painters Artists from Mexico City 20th-century Mexican male artists