Cristóbal Rojas (artist)
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Cristóbal Rojas (December 15, 1857 – November 8, 1890) was one of the most important and high-profile
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n painters of the 19th century. Rojas's styles varied considerably throughout his life, and he displayed talents in painting that ranged primarily for dramatic effect, to works done in the
impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
style.


Biography

Cristóbal Rojas Poleo was born in the city of
Cúa Cúa (founded in 1690) is a small city capital of the Urdaneta Municipality, located in the Miranda State (Estado Miranda) in the north of Venezuela with an altitude of 490 m. Cúa is noted for warm and clear weather, with year-round sunshine and ...
in the
Valles del Tuy The Valles del Tuy (Tuy Valleys) is a region of Venezuela, covering several municipalities in the north-central Miranda State. It is in the area around the Tuy River The Tuy River is a river of northern Venezuela, in the Valles del Tuy (Tuy Vall ...
to parents who worked in the medical profession. Part of his childhood occurred during the middle of the federal war (1859–1863) and Cúa was particularly affected by the events of the war. He initiated studies under his grandfather, José Luis Rojas, who taught him how to draw and motivated him to improve. At 13 years old, his father died and he was forced to begin work in a
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
factory in Cúa to help support his family. In 1878, an earthquake devastated the Valles del Tuy region, and the Rojas faced
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
. As a result, he moved to
Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
where he continued his painting studies, despite again having to work in the tobacco industry to support his mother and family. In Caracas he attended classes by José Manuel Maucó at the
Universidad Central de Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...
. Between 1880 and 1882, he developed a keen interest in oils and displayed a primitive technique that would prevail in his later paintings such as ''Ruinas de Cúa después del Terremoto '' and ''Ruinas del templo de la Merced''. During this time he became acquainted with the painter
Antonio Herrera Toro Antonio Herrera Toro (16 January 1857 – 26 June 1914) was a Venezuelan painter, art critic and professor. Biography He was born in Valencia, Carabobo, and began his artistic studies in 1869, under the tutelage of Martín Tovar y Tovar. Five ...
, also coming under contract as Toro's assistant to paint
Caracas Cathedral The Caracas Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Anne is the seat of the Roman Catholic Metropolitan archdiocese of Caracas, located on the Plaza Bolívar in Caracas, Venezuela. Its chapel of the Holy Trinity is the burial site of the pa ...
. In 1883, Rojas exhibited his ''La muerte de Girardot en Bárbula'' (The death of Girardot in Bárbula) in the Salón del Centenario to commemorate the birth of
Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
and won a silver medal in second place along with the painter
Arturo Michelena Francisco Arturo Michelena Castillo (; 16 June 1863  – 29 July 1898) was a Venezuelan painter known for his historical and Genre art, genre scenes and portraits. Biography His father, Juan Antonio Michelena (1832-1918) was also a painter ...
. This award would grant him a scholarship by government amounting to 50 pesos each month, to study in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. In early 1884 he had moved to study in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
where he established a friendship with
Emilio Boggio Emilio Boggio (21 May 18577 June 1920) was an Italian-Venezuelan pioneering impressionist painter. In 1864 he traveled to France and studied at the Lycée Michelet in Paris until 1870. In 1873, he returned to Caracas and dedicated himself to the ...
. In the period between 1883 and 1890 Rojas would experiment slowly with different pictorial tendencies and techniques ranging from
post-romanticism Post-romanticism or Postromanticism refers to a range of cultural endeavors and attitudes emerging in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, after the period of Romanticism. Post-romanticism in literature The period of post-romantici ...
to
impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
. Melancholic, and with an uncertain temperament, Rojas was inspired by examples of artwork he discovered on his continuous visits to the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
. Between 1886 and 1889 he exhibited many paintings in the
Paris City Hall Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, including ''La miseria'' (1886); ''El violinista enfermo'' (1886); ''La taberna'' (1877); ''El plazo vencido'' (1887); ''La primera y última comunión'' (1888) and ''El bautizo'' (1889). With ''El Bautizo'', a notable change in his work is observed. With a more acute perception of chromatic atmosphere, the painting displayed clear Dutch influences, a style which was also reflected in a later painting he produced in 1889 ''Dante y Beatriz a orillas del Leteo''. Towards the end of 1889, Rojas moved away from the painting of dramatic effects which he had typically displayed at Paris Hall, and began to display talent for scenes and portraits, using colours and paying attention to details with
impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
. However, the subsidies for his scholarship would soon run out, and he became plagued with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. He was forced to return to Venezuela in 1890, bringing with himself his last paintings, a portrait of President
Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl (26 November 1826 – 22 July 1905) was the president of Venezuela from 1888 to 1890. He was the first civilian president who was elected by constitutional procedures in 50 years, and the only one who could finish his t ...
and ''The Purgatorio'', a depiction of
purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
(both 1890). Soon after his return to Caracas, he died on November 8 of 1890, around 5 weeks before his 33rd birthday.


Personality

Journalist Ermelindo Rivodó who visited Rojas in Paris in 1885, described the painter as "Somewhat pale, with small
moustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...
and black hair, that emphasize his smooth set of melancholic eyes". Rojas was known for his reserved but highly passionate nature, rarely socialising with others around him and preferring to study art in his own medium. Peers and artistic commentators have consistently referred to him as "
melancholic Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout History of medicine#Greece and Roman Empire, ancient, medieval medicine of Western Europe, medieval and Lear ...
". Jose Antonio Hedderich, in an interesting article published in the National Magazine of Culture, after studying the life of Rojas described him; "He was of a shy character, that one was aware of the distance that existed between him and those who surrounded to him. He had few friends". However, Hedderich also continues to identify that Rojas was of a highly emotional nature. Once remarking that, "He had almost fatalistic temperament and was emphatically sad". According to Hedderich, Rojas was embittered by excessive guilty feelings about life and was acutely aware of his conscience. These feelings were often reflected in some of his works such as his
purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
painting, painted shortly before his death in the knowledge he was going to die from tuberculosis.


Gallery of paintings

Image:Ruinas de Cúa después del Terremoto de 1812 - Cristóbal Rojas.JPG, Ruinas de Cúa después del Terremoto (1882) Image:Cristobal Rojas 37a.JPG, La miseria (1886). 180,4 x 221,4 cm. Image:Cristobal Rojas 36a.JPG, La taberna (1887). 212 x 272 cm. Image:Cristobal Rojas 08a.JPG, La primera y última comunión (1888). 200 x 250,5 cm. Image:Cristobal Rojas 00a.JPG, El bautizo (1889).148 x 176 cm. Image:Cristobal Rojas 30a.JPG, Estudio para el balcón (1889).73 x59,5 cm. Image:Presidente Rojas Paúl (1890) by Cristobal Rojas.jpg, Retrato del Presidente Rojas Paúl (1890). 200 x 128,3 cm.


See also

*
Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he starte ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Cristobal 1857 births 1890 deaths Venezuelan Roman Catholics People from Cúa Académie Julian alumni 19th-century Venezuelan painters 19th-century male artists Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Venezuela Male painters Death in Caracas