José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza (1750–1802) was a Mexican portrait painter known for being the first painter of significance to work in Spanish colonial New Orleans,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Biography

Salazar was born to Salvador de Salazar and Feliciana Ojeda y Bazquez on the Yucatán peninsula in Mérida, Mexico. He attended the

Academy of San Carlos The Academy of San Carlos ( es, Academia de San Carlos) is located at 22 Academia Street in just northeast of the main plaza of Mexico City. It was the first major art academy and the first art museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1781 as th ...

in Mexico City. In 1782, he moved to New Orleans with his wife, Maria Antonia Magaña (d. 1793) and their two children, a son, José, and daughter, Francisca de Salazar y Magaña, both of whom became artists. Shortly after moving. they had another son, José Casiano. In 1788, their home was destroyed in a fire, and the family moved into a church building. In 1791, the family was living on St. Philip Street, near St. Louis Cathedral, where their youngest son, Ramon Rafael de la Crus, was born. Salazar died on August 15, 1802.

Work

Salazar is considered the foremost painter in Spanish Colonial Louisiana. He painted the portraits of many prominent citizens of colonial Louisiana, including members of the church, government and the military. Some of his well-known sitters include ''Don'' Carlos Trudeau Laveau,

Joseph Montegut Joseph Edgard Montegut (1806–1880) was the 15th mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th- ...

, Ignacio Balderas, ''Don'' Almonaster y Rojas, and Bishop Luis Ignatius Cardenas y Peñalver, among others. His paintings are in the late

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style that was favored in Spanish colonies and show the influence of Mexican provincial styles. The art historian Judith Bonner believes that Salazar's daughter Francisca worked with him due to certain drawing and painting inconsistencies found in his work. His use of transparent glazes and dark backgrounds has been compared to

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

Collections

Salazar's work is held in many museums. It is included in the

Louisiana State Museum The Louisiana State Museum (LSM), founded in New Orleans in 1906, is a statewide system of National Historic Landmarks and modern structures across Louisiana, housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic ...

collection, the

Newcomb Art Museum Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University is an art museum located in the Woldenberg Art Center on the campus of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It has been historically known for its significant collection of Newcomb P ...

collection,

Worcester Art Museum The Worcester Art Museum, also known by its acronym WAM, houses over 38,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day and representing cultures from all over the world. WAM opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and ranks among th ...

, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, among other institutions.

Gallery

File:Marianne Celeste Dragon.jpg, Portrait of

Marianne Celeste Dragon Marie Celeste Dragon (1777–1856) was a wealthy creole slave owner, known for her portrait by José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza. She was the wife of Andrea Dimitry. They were an interracial couple. Dragon passed neither as black or w ...

or Dracos, File:Michel Dragon.png, Portrait of Lieutenant

Michel Dragon Michel Dragon ( el, Μιχάλης Δράκος; 1739–1821) also known as Don Michael Dragon or Michael Dracos was a Greek merchant and lieutenant who served in the Spanish Army during the American Revolution, fighting with the Patriots for th ...

, father of Marianne Celeste Dragon, File:Portrait of Captain Anthony Knapp by Jose Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza.jpg, Portrait of Captain Anthony Knapp, File:Portrait of Matias Francisco Alpuente y Ruiz by José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza.jpg, Portrait of Matías Francisco Alpuente y Ruiz, File:Mother-and-child oil portrait painting by José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza.jpg, Portrait of a mother-and-child, File:Charles Trudeau Laveau - Charles Laveau Trudeau.jpg, Portrait of Charles Trudeau Laveau, File:Marquess of Casa Calvo.png, Portrait of

Sebastián Calvo de la Puerta y O'Farrill Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocl ...

Biography

Work

Collections

Gallery

References

Further reading