Pedro Francisco Lira Rencoret (17 May 1845,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

– 20 April 1912, Santiago) was a Chilean painter and art critic, who organized exhibitions that led to the establishment of the

Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts ( es, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes or ), located in Santiago, Chile, is one of the major centers for Chilean art and for broader South American art. Established in 1880 (making it the oldest in South Am ...

. He is best known for his eclectic portraits of women.

Biography

He was born into a wealthy family and his father was José Santos Lira Calvo, Minister of the Court of Appeals. His primary education was received at the

Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera Instituto Nacional General José Miguel Carrera, often shortened to Instituto Nacional (National Institute), is a public boys' school in downtown Santiago, Chile which teaches 4.400 students between 7th and 12th grade. 170 teachers are employed. ...

. Pursuing an interest in art, he enrolled at the

Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile) Academy of Painting (), also known as the School of Fine Arts of Santiago ( ''de Santiago''), was a Chilean art school, founded on March 17, 1849 in Santiago, Chile. The school produced many works for the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts, wh ...

, which was under the direction of

Alejandro Ciccarelli Alejandro Ciccarelli Manzoni, originally Alessandro Ciccarelli (25 January 1811, Naples - 5 May 1879, Santiago) was an Italian-born Chilean painter and educator. He was the first Director of the Academy of Painting in Santiago, Chile. Biography ...

, a noted Neoclassical painter from Italy.Brief biography
@ MCN Biografías. In 1862, he found a position in the workshop of Antonio Smith,Brief biography
by Patience Schell @ Relics and Selves. while studying law at the University of Chile. He graduated in 1867, but gave up his plans for a legal career to pursue painting instead.Brief Biography
@ Profesor en Línea. In 1872, he won a medal at a competition celebrating the establishment of the

Mercado Central de Santiago The Mercado Central de Santiago is the central market of Santiago de Chile. It was opened in 1872 and Fermín Vivaceta was in charge of its construction. The market replaced the Plaza del Abasto, which was destroyed by a fire in 1864. The mar ...

, organized by

Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna (August 25, 1831 – January 25, 1886) was a Chilean writer, journalist, historian and politician. Vicuña Mackenna was of Irish and Basque descent. Biography Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was born in Santiago, the ...

. Encouraged by this, he was able to obtain a grant to study in Europe, going there with his wife in the company of his friend and future brother-in-law,

Alberto Orrego Luco Alberto Orrego Luco (20 April 1854 in Valparaíso – 2 June 1931 in Santiago de Chile, Santiago) was a Chilean Impressionism, Impressionist landscape painter and diplomat. Biography He was born to a family of wealthy farmers. Upon arriving in Paris, he found himself in the middle of an artistic battle between Neoclassicism and

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, but did not take sides. After some thought, he chose

Jules-Élie Delaunay Jules-Élie Delaunay (; June 13, 1828 – September 5, 1891) was a French academic painter. Biography He was born at Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique ''département'' of France. Delaunay studied under Flandrin, and at the École des Beaux ...

to be his teacher. He lived in France from 1873 to 1884 and was influenced by

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 ...

, many of whose paintings he copied. Later, he received an "honorable mention" at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

, where little recognition was generally given to Latin American artists. But, despite his successes, he decided to return to Chile, as the time appeared ripe to create an artistic milieu comparable to that in Paris.

Activities in Chile

Soon after his arrival, he organized the first exposition devoted exclusively to Chilean painters. Together with the sculptor José Miguel Blanco, he founded the "Unión Artística", an organization devoted to promoting more exhibitions and, ultimately, creating the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Chile, which was originally located on the second floor of the National Congress Building. He also created a Salon, similar to the one in Paris, and helped establish a museum in the Quinta Normal, where expositions were held until 1910. In 1893, he was appointed Director of the

. Although he served as a Professor there, it remains unclear whether or not he ever took on the duties of the Directorship, which passed to

Virginio Arias Virginio Arias Cruz (8 December 1855, Ránquil Ránquil is a Chilean commune in Itata Province, Ñuble Region. The communal capital is the town of Ránquil. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute Ránq ...

in 1900. While there, he was a mentor for promising new artists. Among the best known painters whose careers he supported are

Pablo Burchard Pablo Burchard (November 4, 1875 – July 13, 1964) was a Chilean painter. His father was German architect Teodoro Burchard Haeberle, who arrived in Chile around 1855, and introduced the Gothic style, and his mother was María (Sofía) Luisa Egg ...

, Pedro Reszka Moreau and Celia Castro, the first Chilean woman to become a notable artist. He also compiled Chile's first "Biographical Dictionary of Painters" and translated

Hippolyte Taine Hippolyte Adolphe Taine (, 21 April 1828 – 5 March 1893) was a French historian, critic and philosopher. He was the chief theoretical influence on French naturalism, a major proponent of sociological positivism and one of the first practition ...

's ''Philosophy of Art''. Several historical paintings of his have been used on Chilean banknotes.

Selected paintings

File:LirapedroEn el balcon.jpg, On the Balcony File:Diana-la-cazadora-Pedro-Lira.jpg,

Diana the Huntress ''Diana the Huntress'' (french: Diane chasseresse) is an oil-on-canvas painting by an anonymous artist of the School of Fontainebleau. Painted in about 1550, it is a mythical representation of Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henry II, i ...

File:"Mujer De Pueblo".jpg, Woman of the People File:La mujer de los alfileres.jpg, Woman with Pins File:"La gitana".jpg, Gypsy Woman

References

External links

Pedro Lira
@ Artistas Plásticos Chilenos

with reverse image after Pedro Lira,

Banco Central de Chile The Central Bank of Chile ( es, Banco Central de Chile) is the central bank of Chile. It was established in 1925 and is incorporated into the current Chilean Constitution as an autonomous institution of constitutional rank. Its monetary policy is ...

''Biographical Dictionary of Painters''
complete text online @ Memoria Chilena {{DEFAULTSORT:Lira, Pedro 1845 births 1912 deaths Artists from Santiago Portrait painters 19th-century Chilean painters 19th-century Chilean male artists Chilean male artists 20th-century Chilean painters 19th-century war artists 20th-century war artists Chilean war artists Chilean male painters Male painters 20th-century Chilean male artists Academic staff of the Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile)

Biography

Activities in Chile

Selected paintings

See also

References

Further reading

External links