Álvaro Casanova Zenteno (21 November 185725 May 1939) was a prominent marine painter and of historic naval warfare, a statesman his art is classified as realist,

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

, classical, and romantic.

Biography

Family

Descubrimiento del Estrecho de Magallanes

Casanova Zenteno was the son of Rafael Casanova Casanova and Adelina Zenteno Gana, he was also the grandson of

José Ignacio Zenteno José Ignacio Zenteno del Pozo y Silva (July 28, 1786 – July 16, 1847), was a Chilean soldier, politician and hero of the Chilean War of Independence. Zenteno was born in Santiago, the son of Antonio Zenteno y Bustamante and of Victoria del ...

del Pozo y Silva, who was Chile's first Minister of War and Navy organizing the

Liberating Expedition of Peru The Liberating Expedition of Peru () was a naval and land military force created in 1820 by the government of Chile in continuation of the plan of the Argentine General José de San Martín to achieve the independence of Peru, and thus consolida ...

. Casanova Zenteno was also the nephew of

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

Mariano Casanova Casanova, the third

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

and a longtime friend of the Undersecretary of War and Navy

Pedro Nolasco Cruz Vergara Pedro Nolasco Cruz Vergara (April 18, 1857 – November 11, 1939) was a Chilean Literary criticism, literary critic, novelist, writer, and politician. Early life Pedro Nolasco Cruz Vergara was born in Molina (Chile), Molina, Maule Region in ...

, the writer

Francisco Concha Castillo Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Commu ...

and

Rafael Errázuriz Urmeneta Rafael Valentín Errázuriz Urmeneta (August 10, 1861 - December 26, 1923) was a Chilean politician and diplomat. Rafael Valentín Errázuriz was born in Santiago, the son of Maximiano Errázuriz Valdivieso and of Amalia Urmeneta Quiroga. He co ...

. He was married to Cecilia Vicuña Subercaseaux, niece of the historian

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 ...

and great-granddaughter of General Juan Mackenna O'Reilly. They had six children: Magdalena, Alfonso, Mariano, Adelina, Juan and Manuel.

Studies and life

He studied at the Valparaiso Artizan School, where he had

Thomas Somerscales Thomas Jacques Somerscales (born in Sculcoates, Yorkshire on 29 October 1842; died in Sculcoates, Yorkshire on 27 June 1927) was an English teacher, sailor, and landscape and marine painter. He is also considered a Chilean painter as he began hi ...

as a professor. Casanova Zenteno begun from early age to work in public administration. He was assistant of the Public Library and he was later the

undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

of the ministries of Justice, War, and the Navy. He made his military career in times of the National Guard, commanding the Artillery Brigade Valparaiso, the Lontué Civic Battalion in Molina, and the Civic Artillery Regiment in Santiago. Combate Naval Iquique-Alvaro Casanova

In 1882, during the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

, government sent him to France on a secret mission under the orders of the Minister of Chile in France,

Alberto Blest Gana Alberto Blest Gana (; June 14, 1830 – November 8, 1920) was a Chilean novelist and diplomat, considered the father of Chilean novel. Blest Gana was of Irish and Basque descent. Biography He was born in Santiago, the son of an Irishman, ...

. His objective was to acquire weapons and prevent

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

from doing the same. Upon his return to Chile three years later, he took classes with the painters

Pascual Ortega Portales Pascual Ortega Portales (December 5, 1839 – December 22, 1899) was a notable Chilean painter. His art fits into the categories of romanticism and Realism (art movement), realism. Biography Ortega Portales was born in a wealthy family. At 14 ...

Onofre Jarpa Labra Onofre Jarpa Labra (12 June 1849 – 15 February 1940) was a Chilean landscape painter in the Romantic style, and an essayist on various artistic topics. Biography His education began at the Instituto Nacional, a prestigious school that h ...

, and Enrique Swinburn Kirk. Casanova Zenteno came to occupy important public positions, throughout his life he served under eleven presidents reaching the rank of undersecretary of Justice and Navy. He was also president of the

National Society of Fine Arts The National Society of Fine Arts (''Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes'' - SNBA) is a Portuguese cultural association in Lisbon, founded on 16 March 1901, whose main objectives are to promote and assist the progress of art, to defend the interes ...

Style

Because studied under the English sailor

in Valparaíso, he had a focus on the seas, the coastal landscape and the naval world. He showed a predilection for sailboats and high seas in particular. His art was defined by four stages, starting from

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

under the influence of

, then progressing to

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

. ''First National Square'', an oil on canvas, is an example of his work during this period. He was aware of Chilean naval history, and he applied the knowledge he had gained during his studies in Italy on the construction of

boats A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

to paint the boats in detail during the fighting on the high seas. His painting depicting the Battle of Casma is a particular example of this. Between 1894 and 1929 he won several national and international awards, including the Honor and

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

awarded by King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

during the

Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 (; ) was a world's fair held in Seville, Spain, from 9 May 1929 until 21 June 1930. Countries in attendance of the exposition included: Portugal, the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, C ...

Awards and recognitions

* 1894 Second Class Medal in Painting at the Official Hall,

, Chile * 1896 Honor Prize and First Class Medal in Painting, in the Official Hall, Santiago, Chile * 1903 Landscape Award of the Edwards Competition, Official, Santiago, Chile * 1908 Marcos Maturana General Contest Prize, Salon Oficial, Santiago, Chile * 1910 Second Medal in Painting at the International Exhibition, Santiago, Chile * 1920 Grand Prize at the International Exhibition of the Centennial of

Magallanes Magallanes may refer to: * Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521), Portuguese explorer who led part of the first expedition around the world * Strait of Magellan, the strait between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, located in Chile Places * Magallanes ...

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

, Chile * 1929 Award of Honor and Gold Medal awarded by King Alfonso XIII at the International Exhibition of

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, Spain.

Exhibitions

Casanova Zenteno painted around a thousand oil paintings. His work was featured in two individual exhibitions and more than thirty collective exhibitions, which include almost all the official hall exhibitions between 1890 up to one year before he was death. Subsequently, from 1940 to the year 2000, eighteen presentations of his work were made in Chile.

Individual exhibitions

* 1917 House Eyzaguirre, Santiago. * 1930 Sala Rivas y Calvo, Santiago.

After his death

* 1940 Retrospective, Sociedad Nacional de Bellas Artes,

. * 2007 Tribute to Álvaro Casanova Zenteno, Centro Cultural Montecarmelo, Instituto Cultural de Providencia, Santiago.

Collective exhibitions

* 1890 Official Hall, Santiago. He participated in the years 1894; 1896, 1897, 1898; 1900; 1902; 1903; 1905; 1908; 1910, 1911, 1912; 1915, 1916; 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922; 1934; 1936; 1938, 1939; 1941, 1942, 1943; 1944; 1946 * 1910 Exposición Internacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago. * 1918 House of auctions and exhibitions, Osvaldo Araya, Concepción, Chile. * 1920 International exhibition and Concurso Cuarto Centenario de Magallanes,

, Chile. * 1922 Exhibition at the National Museum of Buenos Aires, Argentina. * 1927 Official Exhibition of Painting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. * 1928 Fifth Official Hall, National Society of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile. * 1929 International Exhibition of Seville, Spain. * 1930 National Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition, 50th anniversary of its 1880 – 1930 Foundation, Santiago, Chile. * 1935 Exhibition Hall of Art Bank of Chile, Santiago. * 1936 Fourth Summer Room, Viña del Mar, Chile. * 1937 Exhibition of Tables of the Artistic Heritage of Chillán, Liceo Fiscal de Niñas, Chillán, Chile. * 1937 National Exhibition of Plastic Arts: IV Centenary of Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.

After his death

* 1940 Chilean Art Exhibition, Buenos Aires, Argentina. * 1969 Chilean painting panorama. Fernando Lobo Parga Collection, National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile. * 1972 The Coast and the Sea in Chilean Painting, Cultural Institute of Las Condes, Santiago. * 1974 Exhibition Painters of the Sea, Exhibition Hall of MINEDUC, Santiago, Chile. * 1974 Two Painters of the Sea, Sala La Capilla, Municipal Theater, Santiago, Chile. * 1975 Chilean Painters Exhibition, National Television of Chile. * 1976 The Casanova in Painting, Cultural Institute of Providencia, Santiago, Chile. * 1978 Chilean Painting Exhibition of the Central Bank of Chile, National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiagoe. * 1978 Exhibition of Paintings: Private Collections, Municipal Casino of Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar, Chile. * 1978 Private collection of Guzmán Ponce paintings, Enrico Bucci Gallery and Cultural Institute of San Miguel, Santiago, Chile. * 1981 The History of Chile in Painting. National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago. * 1982 Touring the Past of Chilean Painting, Cultural Institute of Las Condes, Santiago. * 1983 Donations Exhibition 1978 – 1983, National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile. * 1987 Mar de Chile, Mar de Gloria, National Library, Santiago. * 1987 Pinacoteca Exhibition Central Bank of Chile, National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago. * 1987 Panorama of Chilean Painting, Cultural Institute of Las Condes, Santiago. * 1988 Chilean Painting Collection, Exhibition Hall of the International Bank, Valparaíso, Chile. * 1995 Portraits in Chilean Painting, Cultural Institute of Providencia, Santiago. * 2000 Chile 100 Years Visual arts. First Period 1900 – 1950, National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago Chile. * 2002 From Rugendas to Our Time, Valparaíso in Painting, Lord Cochrane Museum of Valparaíso, Chile. * 2007 El Mar ... A Look at Ours, Extension Center of the Catholic University, Santiago, Chile. * 2007 Edge Sea-High Seas, Central Bank, Santiago, Chile. * 2008 Collection Central Bank of Chile. Carrasco Palace, Viña del Mar, Chile.

Works in public collections

Works in the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts

* The Tugboat, ink on paper, 8 x 11 cm *

Battle of Punta Gruesa The Battle of Punta Gruesa was a naval action that took place on May 21, 1879, during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, which occurred on the same day, although ...

, oil on cardboard, 33 x 41 cm, on loan to the National History Museum * Battle of Casma, c. 1900, oil on canvas, 123 x 211 cm. * Marine, oil on canvas, 108 x 70 cm; * Battle of Casma, oil on canvas, 40 x 70 cm.Obras en Colecciones Públicas fuente MNBA
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Works at the Central Bank of Chile

Battle of Iquique The Battle of Iquique was a Naval warfare, naval engagement on 21 May 1879, during the War of the Pacific, where a Chile, Chilean corvette commanded by Arturo Prat, Arturo Prat Chacón faced a Peru, Peruvian Ironclad warship, ironclad under Mig ...

, oil on canvas * Barco al garete, oil on canvas 50 x 96 cm * Algarete, oil on canvas, 35 x 50 cm.

Universidad de Concepción, Chile

* Marine, oil on canvas, 52 x77 cm;

Banco de Chile, Santiago

* Marine, oil on canvas, 197 x 152 cm.

Museum National History, Santiago

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...

, oil on canvas, 1295 x 193 cm * Ships of the First Chilean Navy Squadron, oil on canvas, 310 x 200 cm There are also works in the following places: *

Club de la Unión Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

* Museum Naval of Valparaíso, Chile * Naval Club of Valparaíso, Chile * Museum O´Higginiano and Museum of Fine Arts of

Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an important ...

, Chile *

Palacio de la Moneda Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the president of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency, and General Se ...

, Santiago * Embassy of Chile in

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Public tribute

In December 2014, the Municipality of Santiago installed a plaque in his honor on the wall of ''Castillo Forestal''.

References

External links

Álvaro Casanova Zenteno@Artistas plásticos chilenos

Providencia, Chile. 120 Años

Enamorado del Mar; Agost 15, 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casanova Zenteno, Álvaro 1857 births 1939 deaths Chilean marine artists Artists from Santiago, Chile Chilean people of Spanish descent Chilean people of Basque descent Realist painters 19th-century Chilean painters 19th-century Chilean male artists 20th-century Chilean painters 19th-century war artists 20th-century war artists Chilean war artists Chilean civil servants Chilean male painters Male painters 20th-century Chilean male artists

Biography

Family

Studies and life

Style

Awards and recognitions

Exhibitions

Individual exhibitions

After his death

Collective exhibitions

After his death

Works in public collections

Works in the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts

Works at the Central Bank of Chile

Universidad de Concepción, Chile

Banco de Chile, Santiago

Museum National History, Santiago

Public tribute

See also

References

External links