Gunther Gerzso (June 17, 1915 – April 21, 2000) was a

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 Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, designer and director and screenwriter for film and theatre.

Biography

Gerzso was 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 ...

, in the times of the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. His parents were Oscar Gerzso ( hu, Gerzsó Oszkár), a Hungarian immigrant, and Dore Wendland, German by birth. After his father's death a few months after Gunther was born, his mother married a German jeweler. The economic crisis during the revolution caused the family to flee to Europe in 1922. The family returned to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

two years later and her mother divorced. Not being able to provide for the children, she sent Gunther to

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

, Switzerland to live with his uncle Dr. Hans Wendland, who was an influential name in the art world. Gunther, then a teenager, met

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

and lived among his uncle's collection of paintings which included works by

Pierre Bonnard Pierre Bonnard (; 3 October 186723 January 1947) was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist ...

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a ...

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...

and

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

. During his time in Lugano, he also met

Nando Tamberlani Nando Tamberlani (1896–1967) was an Italian film actor. A character actor in Italian cinema of the postwar era, he was the brother of actor Carlo Tamberlani. Another brother Ermete Tamberlani was also an actor. He appeared in a number of peplum ...

, noted set designer who would introduce him to the world of theater. In 1931, due to the impact of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

in Europe, Dr. Wendland sent the boy back to his mother in Mexico City. Back home he started doing sketches for set designs and writing plays influenced by Mr. Tamberlani. Two years later he started working in a local theater production company run by

Fernando Wagner Fernando Wagner (November 7, 1905 in Göttingen, Germany – October 20, 1973 in Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a German-born Mexican actor and film director. He had prominent roles in '' La Perla'' and ''The Wild Bunch''. His interment was in Mexico ...

. In 1935 he was offered a scholarship to study at the

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square wher ...

where he made more than 50 set designs over the course of four years. During the 1940s and '50s he made various set designs for Mexican, French and American films. He won a total of five Premios Ariel (The Mexican Equivalent of the Oscars) for Best

Production Design In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wor ...

as well as two more honorary Ariel Awards in 1994 and 2000. During this time he collaborated with directors like Emilio "El Indio" Fernández in ''Un Día de Vida'' (1950),

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 ...

in '' Susana'' (1951), ''

Una Mujer sin Amor ''Una mujer sin amor'' (English: ''A Woman Without Love'') is a 1952 Mexican film directed by Spanish-born filmmaker Luis Buñuel. It is based on Guy de Maupassant's story " Pierre et Jean." The film, like much of Buñuel's work, criticizes bo ...

'' (1952) and ''

El rio y la muerte ''The River and Death'' (Spanish: ''El río y la muerte'') is a 1954 Mexican film. It was written by Luis Alcoriza and directed by Luis Buñuel. The film is an adaptation of Miguel Álvarez Acosta's 1952 novel ''Muro blanco en roca negra'' (White ...

'' (1955),

Yves Allégret Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris. He was an assistant to film directors such as his brothe ...

in '' Les Orgueilleux'' (1953), and

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

in ''

Under the Volcano ''Under the Volcano'' is a novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957) published in 1947. The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the Mexican city of Quauhnahuac, on the Day of the Dead in November ...

'' (1984). In the late 1930s Gerzso also started painting as a hobby. The steady parade of beautiful actresses and interesting people he met in show business provided him with a great inspiration for his canvases which showed a mix of European and Mexican influences. His friend,

Bernard Pfriem Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, convinced him to enter the annual Art Exhibition at the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

where two of his works were selected. It was then that Gunther Gerzso started considering himself a painter more than a set designer. In 1941 Gerzso and his wife moved permanently to

and in 1944 he joined a group of

surrealist 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 ...

painters that had taken refuge from the Second World War in Mexico. These artists were

Benjamin Péret Benjamin Péret (4 July 1899 – 18 September 1959) was a French poet, Parisian Dadaist and a founder and central member of the French Surrealist movement with his avid use of Surrealist automatism. Biography Benjamin Péret was born in Rezé, ...

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 ...

Remedios Varo María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga (16 December 1908 – 8 October 1963) was a Spanish-born Mexican surrealist artist working in Spain, France, and Mexico. Early life Remedios Varo Uranga was born in Anglès, is a small town ...

Alice Rahon Alice Phillipot (Alice Rahon) (8 June 1904 – September 1987) was a List of French artists, French/List of Mexican artists, Mexican poet and artist whose work contributed to the beginning of Abstract art, abstract expression in Mexico. She began ...

and

Wolfgang Paalen Wolfgang Robert Paalen (July 22, 1905 in Vienna, Austria – September 24, 1959 in Taxco, Mexico) was an Austrian-Mexican painter, sculptor, and art philosopher. A member of the Abstraction-Création group from 1934 to 1935, he joined the infl ...

. His works from this period show a clear surrealist influence, which he later abandoned when he started working his famous

abstracts An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, academic conference, conference proceedings, proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpo ...

. According to

Octavio Paz Octavio Paz Lozano (March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican poet and diplomat. For his body of work, he was awarded the 1977 Jerusalem Prize, the 1981 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the 1982 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and ...

, Gunther Gerzso was one of the greatest Latin American painters, since it was he, along with

Carlos Mérida Carlos Mérida (December 2, 1891 – December 21, 1985) was a Guatemalan artist who was one of the first to fuse European modern painting to Latin American themes, especially those related to Guatemala and Mexico. He was part of the Mexican mura ...

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, ...

, who opposed the ideologist aesthetic movement into which muralism had degenerated. Gunther Gerzso was awarded the

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

in 1973 and later in 1978 he was the recipient of the Premio Nacional de Bellas Artes. Gunther Gerzso died on April 21, 2000.

Selected filmography

* '' A Family Like Many Others'' (1949) * ''

Confessions of a Taxi Driver ''Confessions of a Taxi Driver'' (Spanish: ''Confidencias de un ruletero'') is a 1949 Mexican comedy film directed by Alejandro Galindo and starring Adalberto Martinez, Lilia Prado and Julio Villarreal.Agrasánchez p.32 Cast * Adalberto Martíne ...

'' (1949) * '' The Magician'' (1949) * ''

They Say I'm a Communist ''They Say I'm a Communist'' (Spanish: ''Dicen que soy comunista'') is a 1951 Mexican comedy film directed by Alejandro Galindo and starring Adalberto Martínez, María Luisa Zea and Miguel Manzano.Agrasánchez p.26 Cast * Adalberto Martínez as ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Atomic Fireman ''The Atomic Fireman'' (Spanish: ''El bombero atómico'') is a 1952 Mexican comedy film directed by Miguel M. Delgado and starring Cantinflas, Roberto Soto and Gilberto González.Stavans p.91 The film's art direction was by Gunther Gerszo. Plo ...

'' (1952) * ''

The Photographer ''The Photographer'' is a three-part mixed media performance accompanied by music (also sometimes referred to as a chamber opera) by composer Philip Glass. The libretto is based on the life and homicide trial of 19th-century English photographer ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Price of Living ''The Price of Living'' (Spanish: ''El valor de vivir'') is a 1954 Mexican drama film directed by Tito Davison and starring Arturo de Córdova, Rosita Quintana and María Douglas. It was the first Mexican film to be shot in 3D.Baugh p.116 The fi ...

'' (1954) * ''

The River and Death ''The River and Death'' (Spanish: ''El río y la muerte'') is a 1954 Mexican film. It was written by Luis Alcoriza and directed by Luis Buñuel. The film is an adaptation of Miguel Álvarez Acosta's 1952 novel ''Muro blanco en roca negra'' (White ...

'' (1955) * ''

To the Four Winds ''To the Four Winds'' (Spanish:''A los cuatro vientos'') is a 1955 Mexican musical film directed by Adolfo Fernández Bustamante and starring Rosita Quintana, Miguel Aceves Mejía and Joaquín Pardavé.Amador p.191 The film's art direction was ...

'' (1955) * ''

The King of Mexico ''The King of Mexico'' (Spanish:''El rey de México'') is a 1956 Mexican comedy film. It was written by Luis Alcoriza. Plot A local radio station decides to try out an experiment and offers the first homeless man that walks by the chance of becom ...

'' (1956) * '' El ataúd del Vampiro'' (1958) * ''

Sonatas Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''canta ...

'' (1959)

References

*Artspawn
"Biography of Gunther Gerzso"
''Biographical information about Gunther Gerzso on Artspawn''.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerzso, Gunther 1915 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Mexican painters Mexican male painters Golden Ariel Award winners Mexican people of Hungarian descent Mexican people of German descent Mexican production designers Artists from Mexico City Mexican surrealist artists Modern painters 20th-century Mexican screenwriters 20th-century Mexican male writers 20th-century Mexican male artists