María Dolors Vázquez Aznar (15 March 1955 – 22 February 2014) was a Spanish realist painter and lawyer.

Biography

Dolors Vázquez Aznar was born with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

. She later experienced

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, which affected mobility in her arms, facial muscles, neck, and eventually speech. Despite her disabilities, with the support of her family and an energetic and hard-working character, she learned to use her left foot in the same way that other children used their hands. She earned a licentiate in Law from the

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...

in 1983 and dedicated herself to painting professionally in 1995. She died on 22 February 2014 after a severe bout of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Artistic career

As a painter, Vázquez considered herself self-taught, since she began at a young age, learning on her own to paint with her left foot. She began to exhibit her work in 1973, initially participating in collective exhibitions in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

, and little by little throughout various Spanish cities such as

Villareal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...

and Toro. She also had a temporary exhibit at the

ONCE Once means a one-time occurrence. Once may refer to: Music * ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten'' * ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper * ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...

Foundation's Museo Triflológico. Recogiendo premio COCEMFE

In 1988 she became a fellow of the

Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of the World The Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of the World (AMFPA) is a for-profit international organization facilitating the sale of artwork produced by mouth and foot painting artists associated with the organization. None of the artists h ...

(AMFPA). There she participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Madrid, Toledo, Cáceres, Badajoz, Murcia, Valencia, Alicante, Melilla, and Córdoba. While at AMFPA she received training in other areas such as music, creative writing, and modeling. She began to publicly exhibit her work in these fields in 2003. Firmando libro de la exposición

Vázquez had an initial contact with the Intercontinental Christian Fraternity of People with Disabilities (FRATER) in the 1970s, but it was not until a decade later that she committed herself to the movement and began to assume more responsibilities. In 1991 she became part of the diocesan team of FRATER of Valencia, becoming its leader from 1993 to 1998. From 2000 to 2006 she was a member of the General Team of FRATER of Spain, as representative of the Fraternity of Castellón. She was also elected intercontinental coordinator at the 4th Intercontinental Committee of July 2005 in El Escorial, Madrid. She was reelected to the position in 2010 at the 5th Intercontinental Committee of Porto. That year she received the award of the Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disability (COCEMFE), given annually to recognize work done by public and private bodies, associations, companies, media, and public figures in favor of the rights, participation, and integration of people with disabilities and their families. During the Continental Assembly of Africa and Madagascar in January 2014, she fell ill with pneumonia. After a long hospital stay, first at the Saint-Luc Hospital in Brussels and then at the in Valencia, Dolors Vázquez Aznar died on 22 February 2014.

Works

Dolors Vázquez Aznar's pictorial works belong to the realistic style, often with naturalistic motifs. Los pendientes de la reina.jpg, ''Los pendientes de la reina'' Uvas con mantel.jpg, ''Uvas con mantel'' Carla, mi ángel.jpg, ''Carla, mi ángel'' Cuadro navidad.jpg, ''Cuadro de Navidad'' Flores con libro.jpg, ''Flores con libro''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez Aznar, Dolors 1955 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Spanish painters 21st-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish women artists 21st-century Spanish women artists Artists with disabilities Mouth and foot painting artists People from Valencia People with cerebral palsy People with polio Realist painters Spanish women painters University of Valencia alumni Deaths from pneumonia in Spain