Elvira Gascón Vera (May 17, 1911 – February 10, 2000) was a Spanish painter, drafter, and engraver who participated in the Mexican muralism movement and is known for synthesizing Spanish and Mexican styles. Gascón also illustrated hundreds of books and periodicals, originating the drawing style known as ''helenismo picassiano''.

Life

Gascón was born in

Almenar Almenar is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Segrià in Catalonia, Spain. The Battle of Almenar, one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict t ...

, Soria. She was accepted into Madrid's Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 1929 and studied there till 1935. She taught in Madrid at the Instituto Lope de Vega and the ''Escuela de Artes y Oficios''. When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Gascón joined the Junta de Incautación del Tesoro Artístico Nacional, which seized national artistic treasures to keep them safe during the chaotic years of war and destruction. While working for the institute, she met her future husband, (1891–1966), the institute's president and brother of the architect (1888–1931). Gascón and Fernández emigrated to exile in Mexico in 1939, following the defeat of the

Spanish Republicans Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

by the right-wing Nationalist rebels. In Mexico, Gascón became a prolific and widely known artist, with Mexican artists and intellectuals like

Rubén Bonifaz Nuño Rubén Bonifaz Nuño (12 November 1923 – 31 January 2013) was a Mexican poet and classics, classical scholar. Born in Córdoba, Veracruz, he studied law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) from 1934 to 1947. In 1960, he b ...

praising her artistic technique and simplicity of style.Ascensión H. de León-Portilla, ''España desde México: Vida y tesimonio de transterrados'' (Madrid: Algaba Ediciones, 1978), chapter 4''
(Spanish). Gascón had two daughters, Guadelupe and Elvira. Elvira, b. 1944 in Mexico City, is a known sculptor. Later in life, Gascón suffered from Parkinson's disease. She died in Mexico City in 2000 at the age of 88."Enriquecen el acervo de Elvira Gascón en el Colmex"
(Spanish), ''La Jornada''.

Career

In Mexico, Gascón painted several

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

in churches, and participated in 28 single and 45 group exhibitions. She also illustrated magazines and about 150 books.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gascon Vera, Elvira 1911 births 2000 deaths 20th-century engravers 20th-century Spanish painters Spanish engravers Spanish illustrators Spanish women illustrators Spanish muralists Spanish women artists 20th-century Spanish women artists Women muralists Women engravers Spanish emigrants to Mexico