Alberto Nicasio (August 10, 1902 – July 4, 1980) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

artist (

xylographer Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

) and educator. He was a member of the Argentinian National Academy of Arts."Muestra homenaje a Alberto Nicasio". ''La Voz del Interior'', 22 August 1982."Alberto Nicasio: el cantar de la madera", by Armando Sica. ''La Voz del Interior'', 1 July 1984."Muestra de Nicasio en la Fundación Independencia". ''La Voz del Interior'', 2 June 1989."Grabados de Nicasio". ''La Voz del Interior'', 1 July 1989."Muestra-homenaje a Alberto Nicasio". ''La Voz del Interior'', 4 July 1985."Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes – Folleto 1936–1976". Compañía Impresora Argentina, 29 July 1976. A street in the city of Córdoba and a primary school in the province are named after him."Alberto Nicasio", by Carlos A. Ighina. ''Revista Centro de Participación Comunal'', year 1, number 1, November 1994, Municipalidad de Córdoba.

Biography

Alberto Nicasio was born in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, on 10 August 1902, the son of Alfredo Nicasio and Eugenia Lasserre. As a young child, his parents decided to settle in the city of

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

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(then French territory); but due to the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the family decided to emigrate to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in 1916, finally settling in the city of Córdoba. There, Nicasio trained in drawing and painting at the Provincial School of Fine Arts with masters such as Emiliano Gómez Clara, Manuel Cardeñosa and Carlos Camiloni, and then began to study the technique of wood engraving."El autor del milagro: Alberto Nicasio o la sugerencia". ''La Voz del Interior'', 2 March 1980."Falleció Alberto Nicasio: figura señera de la plástica cordobesa", ''La Voz del Interior'', 6 July 1980. He married María Elena Las Heras in 1930;"Cómo viven y piensan los que cultivan las Bellas Letras y el Arte: Se propone ilustrar el Facundo, de Sarmiento, Alberto Nicasio, xilografista de personalidad". ''La Voz del Interior'', 7 February 1935. they had two daughters, María Elena and Carmen Olga. As an artist, he participated in biennials in São Paulo, Mexico and Switzerland; he also participated in group exhibitions in the United States, Japan, Belgium, the Vatican, Spain, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil."Prison Museum to feature Argentinian Art Engraving". ''Burlington County Herald'', 25 September 1969."Argentine Art Engraving to be shown at museum". ''Sunday Times Advertiser'', 28 September 1969."Exhibits of Art". ''The Magazine'', 12 December 1982. He illustrated various books, such as

Sarmiento Sarmiento may refer to: Places Argentina *Sarmiento Department, San Juan, a subdivision of the San Juan Province *Sarmiento Department, Santiago del Estero, a subdivision of the Santiago del Estero Province *Sarmiento Department, Chubut, a subdivi ...

's ''

Facundo ''Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism'' (original Spanish title: ''Facundo: Civilización y Barbarie'') is a book written in 1845 by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, a writer and journalist who became the second president of Argentina. It is a corner ...

'', José Hernández's ''

Martín Fierro ''Martín Fierro'', also known as ''El Gaucho Martín Fierro'', is a 2,316-line epic poem by the Argentine writer José Hernández. The poem was originally published in two parts, ''El Gaucho Martín Fierro'' (1872) and ''La Vuelta de Martín F ...

'', ''

Adonais ''Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats, Author of Endymion, Hyperion, etc.'' () is a pastoral elegy written by Percy Bysshe Shelley for John Keats in 1821, and widely regarded as one of Shelley's best and best-known works.Percy Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

's elegy and 30 woodcuts on

William Henry Hudson William Henry Hudson (4 August 1841 – 18 August 1922) – known in Argentina as Guillermo Enrique Hudson – was an Anglo-Argentine author, naturalist and ornithologist. Life Hudson was the son of Daniel Hudson and his wife Catherine (), U ...

's ''Tierra Purpúrea'', among others.El Grabado en las Ediciones Argentinas, Museo del Grabado. Biblioteca Nacional. October 1967. A number of exhibitions of his work were held posthumously."Continúan exponiendo". ''La Voz del Interior'', 18 July 1985."Exposiciones: Genaro Pérez". ''La Voz del Interior'', 4 July 1995.

Description of his work

Nicasio began experimenting with drawing and oil painting, and took part in group exhibitions in 1927"En el Primer Salón de Arte se revelan nuevos y vigorosos artistas". ''La Voz del Interior'', 23 November 1927. and 1928."Ecos del segundo salón de arte libre". ''La Voz del Interior'', 28 November 1928. Later, however, he abandoned his period as a painter and transitioned to woodcut, to which he dedicated the rest of his life."Obras que figuran en el II Salón Anual de Bellas Artes de Córdoba". ''La Prensa'', 15 November 1934."Exposición de grabadores argentinos premiados en el Salón Nacional". ''La Prensa'', 13 August 1944."Noticias del Ministerio de Educación, Provincia de Buenos Aires", 14 March 1957. Nicasio's oeuvre can be divided into periods in which his art varied. The first period was marked by a figurative character, depicting urban and suburban landscapes of Córdoba. These early engravings show the façades of buildings symbolic of Córdoba's colonial period, such as the Cathedral of Córdoba, or the buildings of the complex known as La Manzana Jesuítica, which includes the Compañía de Jesús and the Colegio Nacional de Montserrat. Also of note during this period were his landscape engravings such as La Cañada de Córdoba, as well as others such as the Barrancas de Córdoba and the old Suburbio Cordobés."Córdoba de ayer en las xilografías de Nicasio", ''La Voz del Interior'', 22 July 1984."La cuenca desbordada". ''La Voz del Interior'', 12 December 2019.
/ref> As a result of his interest in avant-garde art, he later began to experiment with geometrisation and abstract art. Thus, the following period of his work is characterised by a tendency towards abstraction, with simpler and more schematic forms, which would later evolve towards a more surrealist period.Arte de la Argentina: Nicasio, Alberto.
/ref>Diccionario de Artistas Plásticos de Córdoba: Nicasio, Alberto
/ref> A final period is characterised by the irruption of colour, in sharp contrast with his previous work in monochrome. At this stage, with the use of saturated inks (red, green and ochre), he approaches a neo-figurativism, but more synthetic and schematic.

Teaching

An important part of his life was his vocation as a teacher, in which he was dedicated to training successive generations of students. Some of them would later become renowned Argentine artists, such as Pedro Pont Vergés;

Marcelo Bonevardi Marcelo Bonevardi (1929–1994) was a Latin American avant-garde artist known for his mixed media pieces. A native of Argentina, Bonevardi spent the greater part of his career in New York City, where he absorbed avant-garde practices and influenc ...

; Ronaldo de Juan; Alfio Grifasi; César Miranda, Raúl Pecker; José De Monte and

Antonio Seguí Antonio Hugo Seguí (; 11 January 1934 – 26 February 2022) was an Argentine cartoonist, painter, engraver, book illustrator, and sculptor, who lived and worked in Paris. Seguí's work has been collected and exhibited worldwide in and by art in ...

, among others."El recuerdo de Alberto Nicasio". Guía de Córdoba Cultural, Subsecretaría de Cultura de la Municipalidad de Córdoba, 16 October 1982. He taught in normal and secondary schools. He began teaching drawing at the Escuelas Pías (1931–1932) and at the Colegio Santo Tomás (1932–1942). Later, he was founder and director of the School of Engraving of the Society of Artists of Córdoba and professor of engraving at the Association of Painters and Sculptors of Córdoba (1939–1940). He founded the first engraving workshop in Córdoba at the Escuela Normal Superior Dr. Agulla (1942–1947)."Artes, de un edificio a otro". ''Revista Virtual''. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
/ref> In 1950, he won the Chair of Engraving and later the directorship of the Escuela Superior de Artes (today the Faculty of Arts) of the

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...

Illustrated books

* ''Niobe'', by Jorge M. Furt. uenos Aires, Argentina olombo 1943. * ''

. órdoba, Argentina sociación Argentina de Cultura Británica 1944. * ''

Doña Bárbara ''Doña Bárbara (Lady Bárbara)'' is a novel by Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos, first published in 1929. It was described in 1974 as "possibly the most widely known Latin American novel".Shaw, Donald, "Gallegos' Revision of Doña Bárbara 1 ...

'', by

Rómulo Gallegos Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire (2 August 1884 – 5 April 1969) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of nine months during 1948, he governed as the first freely elected president in Venezuela's history. He was ...

. uenos Aires, Argentina euser 1945. * ''San Martín, su lucha en verso'', by Ana Rosa Tarrio. órdoba, Argentina iffignandi 1947. * ''

'', by José Hernández. uenos Aires, Argentina euser 1951. * ''El Salto de Ascochinga'', Lucio Vicente López. uenos Aires, Argentina rgentine Society of Bibliophiles 1952. * ''Coral- Ese muro lejano'', by Jorge M. Furt. uenos Aires, Argentina olombo 1952. * ''

'', by

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...

. uenos Aires, Argentina euser 1955.

Permanent collections

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires) The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes ("National Museum of Fine Arts") is an Argentine art museum in Buenos Aires, located in the Recoleta section of the city. The Museum inaugurated a branch in Neuquén in 2004. The museum hosts works by Goya, Remb ...

* Museum of Fine Arts, La Plata Boletín de artes visuales, Issues 10-16. Pan American Union. Visual Arts Section. January–December 1963, page 21. *

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

Caraffa Fine Arts Museum The Emilio Caraffa Provincial Fine Arts Museum is an art museum in Córdoba, Argentina. Overview The institution was established as the Provincial Fine Arts Museum by the Province of Córdoba. In 1915, the museum's design was commissioned to Ger ...

* Genaro Pérez Municipal Museum, Córdoba *

Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum The Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum ( es, Museo de Bellas Artes Juan B. Castagnino) is an art museum in the city of Rosario, , considered the most important of the interior of the country and the second in national terms. It is administer ...

Visibilidad y presencia del grabado en el Museo Castagnino.
/ref> * Provincial Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe * Guiñazú Museum (Fader House), of Mendoza * Rosa Galisteo de Rodriguez Provincial Museum, Santa Fe

Exhibitions

* 1937 Los Principios Newspaper, Córdoba * 1938 Solo Exhibition at Reflex Gallery, Córdoba * 1939 Rivadavia Library, Mendoza * 1941 International Exhibition of Engraving, Riverside Museum of New York * 1942 Argentinean Association of English Culture, Córdoba * 1942 Provincial Directorate of Tourism, Córdoba * 1944 Argentinean-North American Cultural Institute, Córdoba * 1944 Municipal Museum of Rosario, Santa Fe * 1945 Exhibition of works by Argentinean engravers, Metropolitan Museum of New York, United States Enciclopedia Visual de la Argentina. Buenos Aires, Clarín, 2002. * 1946 General Directorate of Tourism, Córdoba * 1946 Exhibition of 10 engravings, National Salon of Montevideo, Uruguay * 1949 Panamerican Union, Washington D.C., USA * 1949 Exhibition of Argentinean Engravers, National University of Chile, Chile * 1956 Avellaneda Art Museum, Buenos Aires, Argentina * 1961 Exhibition of Argentinean Engravings, Japan * 1963 Casa de la Cultura, Córdoba * 1964 Feldman Gallery, Córdoba * 1967 Feldman Gallery, Córdoba * 1969 Historic Burlington County Prison Museum, New Jersey, United States "Art from Argentina finds home in Burlington County", by George Atkinson, ''Sunday Times Advertiser'', Trenton, New Jersey, 5 October 1969. * 1970 Vatican Museum * 1980 Posthumous Exhibition, Feldman Gallery, Córdoba * 1982 Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, Doctor Genaro Pérez, Córdoba * 1984 Alberto Nicasio, Homage Exhibition, Agencia Diario Clarin, Córdoba * 1985 Homage exhibition, Caraffa Museum, Córdoba * 1988 Alberto Nicasio retrospective exhibition of woodcuts, Gaudí Gallery, Córdoba * 1989 National Radio Exhibition Hall, Córdoba * 1989 Exhibition at the Independencia Foundation, Córdoba * 1994 Churches of Córdoba: woodcuts by Alberto Nicasio, Museum of Religious Art Juan de Tejeda, Córdoba * 1995 Genaro Pérez Museum, Córdoba * 1997 Xilographs by Alberto Nicasio, National Museum of Engraving, Buenos Aires

Awards and distinctions

* 1933 Concejo Deliberante Award, I Salón de Otoño, Córdoba * 1934 Acquisition Award, II Provincial Salon of Fine Arts, Córdoba * 1935 National Senate Prize, III Autumn Salon, Córdoba * 1936 Prize in Engraving, IV Salón de Otoño, Córdoba * 1939 Laura Barberá de Díaz Award. Gold Medal. XXIX National Salon of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires * 1941 First Prize in Engraving. National Salon of Fine Arts * 1942 First Prize for Engraving. II Municipal Salon of Fine Arts, Córdoba * 1942 Founding member of the Society of Plastic Artists of Córdoba * 1943 Acquisition Prize. Rosario Engraving Salon, Castagnino Museum * 1945 Salvador Caputto Award. XXII Annual Santa Fe Fine Arts Salon * 1946 First Prize Alejandro Shaw, XXXI Salon of Watercolourists and Engravers, Buenos Aires * 1946 Acquisition Prize. II Plastic Arts Salon of the Jockey Club of Córdoba * 1948 Secretary of Industry, Apprenticeship and Professional Orientation Award, II Salón del Trabajo. Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe * 1949 First Prize for Engraving. Autumn Exhibition, Córdoba * 1950 First Prize, IX Mar del Plata Art Salon. Mar del Plata * 1951 Prize in engraving, I Plastic Arts Salon, Córdoba Boletín de música y artes visuales. Departamento de Asuntos Culturales - Unión Panamericana, Washington 6, D.C. Issues 17-18. July–August 1951, page 29. * 1951 Prins Grand Prize 1951. National Academy of Fine Arts * 1951 National University of Córdoba Award. Argentine Salon of Plastic Arts * 1951 Grand Prize of Honour. National Ministry of Education * 1952 First Prize in Engraving and Drawing, II Plastic Arts Salon, Córdoba * 1953 First Prize, Municipal Salon of Plastic Arts, Córdoba * 1956 Grand Prize of Honour, National Salon of Fine Arts, Buenos Aires * 1956 Medal Honorable Senate of the Nation. Gold Medal * 1957 Grand Prize of Honour in Engraving. Mar del Plata Salon * 1958 Medal, Brussels International Exhibition * 1958 First Prize at the Santa Fe Salon * 1960 First Prize. National Salon on Historical Art, Buenos Aires * 1963 Grand Prize of Honour. Plastic Arts Salon of Córdoba * 1968 Prize for Intellectual Production. Plastic Arts of Córdoba * 1970 Second Prize in Engraving, III Annual Salon of APAC, Córdoba * 1973 Member of the National Academy of Fine Arts

References

Bibliography

* Nicasio, Alberto; Grimaut, Azor. ''La Cañada. Estampas de Córdoba'' = ''La Cañada. Engravings of Cordoba''. órdoba, Argentina itvack 1944. * Nicasio, Alberto. ''Monumentos Coloniales de Córdoba'' = ''Colonial Monuments of Córdoba'', prologued by Carlos Luque Colombres. órdoba, Argentina iffignandi 1956. * Nicasio, Alberto. ''Iglesias de Córdoba; estampas xilográficas'' = ''Churches of Cordoba; xylographic engravings''. órdoba, Argentina ficina del Album del VI Congreso Eucarístico Nacional 1959. * Nicasio, Alberto. ''Capillas coloniales de Córdoba: 12 xilografias'' = ''Colonial chapels of Córdoba: 12 woodcuts.'' órdoba, Argentina niversidad Nacional de Córdoba 1961. Twelve woodcuts, and a prologue by Marcelo Montes Pacheco. * Nicasio, Alberto. ''Grabados de alumnos de la Escuela de Artes, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba'' = ''Engravings by students of the School of Arts, National University of Córdoba''. órdoba, Argentina abellón Méjico-Ciudad Universitaria 1963. * Nicasio, Alberto. ''30 Xilografías sobre motivos de La Tierra Purpúrea'', de Guillermo Enrique Hudson. órdoba, Argentina itvack * Pan American Union. ''Three engravers of Argentina : Amadeo dell'Acqua, Alberto Nicasio, Victor Rebuffo''. ashingnton D.C., USA he Union 1949. * Pécora, Óscar and Barranco, Ulises. ''Sesenta y cinco grabados en madera. La xilografía en el Río de la Plata'' = ''Sixty-five wood engravings. Xylography in the River Plate''. uenos Aires, Argentina lástica 1943. * Rizzuto, Manuel Alfredo. ''Historia y evocación de Alta Gracia'' = ''History and evocation of Alta Gracia''. órdoba, Argentina sociación Alta Gracia y sus Sierras 1943.

External links

Museo de la Escuela Normal Superior: la Historia de nuestra escuela

Museo de la Escuela Normal Superior: Taller de xilografía inaugurado por Alberto Nicasio

"Sistematización del arroyo la Cañada en la Ciudad de Córdoba (1939-1944). Impacto en el campo del arte: pintura", Sabatté, Antonio E. FAUD-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina

"Impresiones sociales. Una lectura sobre la tradición del grabado en la Argentina", Dolinko, Silvia. Revista Separata. Facultad de Humanidades y Artes. Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 19 de noviembre de 2010.

"Las invasiones a La Cañada. Acciones colectivas de artistas en los tiempos de la sistematización", Alderete, Ana Sol. Revista Separata. Facultad de Humanidades y Artes. Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 26 de octubre de 2016.

Ediciones ilustradas de la Sociedad de Bibliófilos Argentinos en repositorios institucionales. Costa, María Eugenia. FaHCE, IHAAA/FBA, UNLP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicasio, Alberto 1902 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Argentine painters 20th-century engravers Argentine artists Argentine male painters Argentine engravers Artists from Marseille National University of Córdoba faculty People from Córdoba, Argentina People from Oran Wood engravers 20th-century Argentine male artists