Alonso Neira Martinez (December 27, 1913 – January 31, 1990) was a Colombian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Biography

Born in Bogotá, Colombia. His first encounter with

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

was through

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

. He helped in his father's (don Segundo Neira)

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

shop named "Etruria" which was open between 1890 and 1952.
1933. Went into the School of Beaux Arts in Bogota where he studied painting and

with: Domingo Rodriguez, Gustavo Arcila Uribe, Domingo Moreno Otero, Carlos Reyes, Ramon Barba and Eugenio Zerda.
1935. Makes monument to the Chía (Moon) Goddess in Chía ( Cundinamarca) along with Martin A. Jimenez and Luis Alfonso Sanchez V. ] 1936. Finalizes Art Studies.
1938 - 1957. Professor at the School of Beaux Arts at the National University of Colombia.
1940. Participant in the I Salon of Colombian Artists with the work: "Head of a Man", direct woodwork; and "Head of a Woman", ceramic.
1942. Participant of the III Salon of Colombian Artists first prize in sculpture with: Life (terracota) y Rest (terracota).
1944. Participant of the V Salon of Colombian Artists "Nude" gets a gold medal.
1948. Designs the monument to the Panamerican Flags in the place where the old Techo airport was at Bogotá.
1951. Participates in the international contest for posters to go along with the third

Bolivarian Games The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'', full name ''Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos'') are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (''Organización Deport ...

in Caracas,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. His posters are honored with the first prize and are therefore used as the official game icons.
1952. August 7. Takes part again of the IX Salon of Colombian Artists with the clay sculpture "The Fountain".
1953. July 20. Takes part in the collective exposition in commemoration of the shout of Independence with the sculptures: "The Fountain" and "Nude".
1953 - 1964. Professor of painting and project management at the Faculty of Architecture of the National University.
1955. President of the School of Beaux Arts of the National University of Colombia.
1988. Scultps Bolívar in horse for the central plaza of

Santa Rosa de Cabal Santa Rosa de Cabal is a town and municipality in the Risaralda Department, of west central Colombia, on the western slopes of the Andean Cordillera Central. It is a commercial and manufacturing centre for the fertile agricultural and pastoral h ...

, Risaralda, Colombia

Style

His sculpture was mainly that of a so-called "academic style" with a strong influence of the typical facial and anatomical features of Mestizo Colombians with a larger component of

Muisca The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan langu ...

features. This style is easy to recognize in his Mestizo muses in the Monument to Pan-American flags. During his early artistic career his role as professor of industrial and decorative painting for the Ministry of Education was quite important and influential. He later taught natural painting, modeling workshops, handicrafts, and comparative anatomy for the School of Beaux Arts at the National University of Colombia, and painting and project presentation for the Faculty of Architecture.

Sculptures

"Rest" and "Life".
Monument to Students ( Gimnasio Moderno, Bogotá).
Monument to Chía goddess ( Chía, Cundinamarcabr>

24 bronze reliefs with decorative motifs to the Flags. (The monument to pan-american flags) (Techo, Bogotá).
Portrait of Julio Garavito Armero the wise (Sociedad Colombiana de Ingenieros).
Portrait of

Jorge Eliecer Gaitan Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

at calle 26 with carrera 17 in Bogota.María Clara Torres and Hugo Delgadillo. ''Bogotá un museo a cielo abierto''. Panamericana Formas e Impresos, 2008, p. 323-325.

Bibliography

*Alirio Gómez Picón: "¿Hay Escultores en Colombia?" "El Tiempo", Bogotá, October 8 of 1961.
Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango Info.

External links

Video about the monument to pan-american flags120 Muses, the Banderas monument

Museo Nacional de Colombia, pdf article on nude sculptures in Colombia
* Wikipedia in Spanish Entry for Banderas Monument
Chia Goddess Sculpture at Chia, Cundinamarca

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neira Martinez, Alonso 1913 births 1990 deaths Artists from Bogotá Colombian sculptors Modern sculptors 20th-century sculptors