Luis Germán Cajiga
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Luis Germán Cajiga is Puerto Rican
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 ...
, poet and essayist known for his
screen printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...
depicting Puerto Rico's natural landscape, its creole culture, and religious motifs. He was born in 1934, in the municipality of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, and his studio is currently based in the Old San Juan.


Early life

Cajiga was born on August 21, 1934 in barrio
Cacao Cacao is the seed from which cocoa and chocolate are made, from Spanish cacao, an adaptation of Nahuatl cacaua, the root form of cacahuatl ("bean of the cocoa-tree"). It may also refer to: Plants *''Theobroma cacao'', a tropical evergreen tree ** ...
in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. When he was a young man he moved to
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
, where he studied graphic art. In 1955 he became a Seventh-day Adventist. While in the military he served in the Canal Zone in Panama, as a medic. In 1975 he got a master of arts degree in counseling and guidance at Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.


Art work


Early work

He began his artistic education in the studio of the “División de Educación de la Comunidad en San Juan” (San Juan's Community Education Division). There, under the tutelage of Fran Cervoni, Cajiga furthered his interest for Old San Juan, a subject that to this day permeates his art. Cajiga dedicated a great deal of his time on serigraphic work (silk-screening). During the early years, he prepared and printed the works of Homar and Tufiño. These in return provided him with support and instruction. He continued to perfect the technique, which remains a significant part of his current work. His first two oil paintings may be found in the palace of Santa Catalina and at the Museo de Arte de Ponce. "Calle Mercado" one of the two aforementioned oils was acquired by Governor
Luis A. Ferré Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo (February 17, 1904 October 20, 2003) was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the governor of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973. He was the founder of the ...
. Among his exhibiting venues in Puerto Rico are: Ateneo Puertorriqueño,
Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( es, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña), or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preser ...
(Institute of Puerto Rican Culture), Museo de la Universidad de Puerto Rico,
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Doct ...
,
Universidad Interamericana Universidad Interamericana (UNICA) is a university in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of t ...
, Museo de Arte de Ponce, various educational and cultural centers in the island, and commercial galleries. Many of his paintings, especially posters, were printed by the artist from Adjuntas, Puerto Rico Don Samuel Maldonado Plaza in the 1980s. The printing was done in the silkscreen shop of Don Gildo Rivera Santiago in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Doris M. Vázquez, from the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute considered him one of the most “outstanding artists of the fifties”. As a witness to that we find his artwork in the following collections: *Museum of History, Anthropology, and Art, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico *The Governor's Mansion: La Fortaleza, San Juan, Puerto Rico *Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico *Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico *Ateneo Puertorriqueño, San Juan, Puerto Rico *Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico


Later work

He produced a poster for the United States
Hispanic Heritage Month National Hispanic Heritage Month (Spanish: ''Mes nacional de la herencia hispana'') is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, cul ...
in 1997, and a mural in New York for the Heineken Mural Art Series in 2002.


Poetry and other writings

Cajiga has published five poetry books as well as novels and short stories. Of notable mention is the book “Génesis: Décimas” a poetic transcription of the Book of Genesis published by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. He has also published various works of a religious nature as well as vegetarian recipe books. He hasn't died yet. Cajiga has been featured in various publications. *Catalogues: **Babín, María Teresa. Programa de la Cultura Puertorriqueña. **"Fuego Divino", Libro de Poemas Ilustrados. **"Pintores Puertorriqueños Contemporáneos", San Juan, Puerto Rico. **"Portafolio", Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1958. **"Pintores Puertorriqueños", Portafolio Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico *Magazines/Journals: **Boletín Academia de Artes y Ciencia, núm. 2,Tomo IV, 1969. *Newspaper Articles: **Periódico El Mundo, Suplemento Dominical, (San Juan, PR), 11 de julio de 1971. **Periódico El Nuevo Día, (San Juan, PR), 28 de agosto de 1976. **Periódico El Mundo, (San Juan, PR), 27 de marzo de 1974. **Periódico El Mundo,(San Juan, PR), 26 de septiembre de 1976. **Periódico El Mundo, (San Juan, PR), 18 de enero de 1976. **Periódico La Hora, 27 de septiembre de 1973. The San Juan Star, (San Juan, PR), 19 de enero de 1975. *Periódico El Mundo, (San Juan, PR), 4 de octubre de 1973. *Periódico El Mundo, (San Juan, PR), 14 de enero de 1975.


Awards, decorations, and recognitions

*1957- Puerto Rico Fire Department Contest - 2nd Place *1965- IBEC, Caguas, Puerto Rico - 1st Place *1969- San Juan Town Hall Contest - 2nd Place *1972- Sterling House, Christmas Plate Design Contest *High Council of Art- Agüeybana de Oro *Libre Empresa Award *Support from UNESCO-Puerto Rico has brought his artwork to Latin America and the European Union.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans


References


External links


''Estudio Cajiga''Chat with beloved Puerto Rican painter
(Spanish)
‘‘Publications by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture''
* ttp://www.flmm.org/casa.htm ''Cajiga at Fundacion Luis Muñoz Marín''br>''Cajiga paints the Coat of Arms of his hometown, Quebradillas''''Cajiga the first lithographer on tin in Puerto Rico''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cajiga, Luis German 1934 births Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni Living people People from Quebradillas, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican painters Puerto Rican Seventh-day Adventists Converts to Adventism