Carmelo Fernández Páez (1809-1887) was a Venezuelan engineer, soldier, cartoonist,

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...

and watercolorist. He was born in the town of Guama,

Yaracuy State Yaracuy (, ;) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Yaracuy is located in the Central-Western Region, Venezuela. It is bordered by Falcón in the north, in the west by Lara, in the south by Portuguesa and Cojedes and in the east by Cojedes ...

, on June 30, 1809, and died in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...

on February 9, 1887.

Biography

His parents were José María Fernández and Luisa Páez, sister of general

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the president of Venezuela three times. The first as the 5th president from 1830 to 1835, the second as the 8th president ...

. As the nephew of a General, he became familiar with the events and personalities of the

Spanish American wars of independence The Spanish American wars of independence () took place across the Spanish Empire during the early 19th century. The struggles in both hemispheres began shortly after the outbreak of the Peninsular War, forming part of the broader context of the ...

at an early age. From 1821 to 1823, he studied drawing and watercolors at a studio operated by a retired French artillery captain named Lessabe (or Lasabe) in Caracas. He then went to New York City, where he continued his education with Mariano Velazquez de la Cadena and others. When he returned to Venezuela in 1827, he studied mathematics and topographical drawing at the Army Engineering Command in

Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...

, and was later stationed in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

and Cartagena. During this period he participated in the punitive expedition under

Daniel Florence O'Leary Daniel Florence O'Leary (; 14 February 1801 – 24 February 1854) was a military general and aide-de-camp under Simón Bolívar. Life O'Leary was born in Cork, Ireland; his father was Jeremiah O'Leary, a butter merchant. In 1817, Daniel O'L ...

that went to

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

to suppress the revolt of General José María Córdova against the dictatorship of

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

. After the breakup of

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...

, he was invited by the Italian geographer

Agustín Codazzi Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi (; 12 July 1793 – 7 February 1859), alternatively known in Latin America as Juan Bautista Agustín Codazzi (), was an Italo-Venezuelan soldier, scientist, geographer, cartographer, and governor of ...

to participate in creating a survey map of Venezuela. This work lasted from 1833 to 1839, during which time he made miniatures and engravings to include with the maps. He went to Paris with Codazzi in 1840 to oversee the printing of the maps by Thierry Frères, a well-known lithography firm, where Codazzi published the ''Atlas físico y político de la República de Venezuela''. On the same trip, he developed some of the drawings for the ''Resumen de la historia de Venezuela'' by

Rafael María Baralt Rafael María Baralt y Pérez (3 July 1810 - 4 January 1860) was a Venezuelan diplomat and one of the country's most famed writers, philologists, and historians. He was the first Latin American to occupy a chair at the Real Academia Española. ...

and Ramón Díaz. Carmelo Fernandez 05

In 1842, the Venezuelan government appointed a commission to repatriate the remains of Simón Bolívar from

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

, an event that Fernandez recorded with about twenty drawings. Several of them were lithographed by the firm of Aagard, Müller and Stapler in 1844. Due to the strong enmity between his uncle, the General, and

José Tadeo Monagas José Tadeo Monagas Burgos (28 October 1784 – 18 November 1868) was the president of Venezuela 1847–1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Career Presidency In 1846, to head off the challenge from the Libe ...

, the General's friends and family were persecuted so Fernández had to go into exile in 1849, to

New Granada New Granada may refer to various former national denominations for the present-day country of Colombia: *New Kingdom of Granada, from 1538 to 1717 *Viceroyalty of New Granada, from 1717 to 1810, re-established from 1816 to 1822 *United Provinces of ...

. In 1850, upon the recommendation of Codazzi, he was appointed to the " Comisión Corográfica", where he provided illustrations for descriptions written by the historian Manuel Ancízar. He was, according to critics, the most qualified of the three painters who participated in the commission because he combined a skill for painting miniatures with a knowledge of topography. The prints he made during the project numbered about thirty, and are divided thematically into landscapes of natural phenomena, sites of historical and archaeological significance, roads, ethnic groups and customs. He resigned from this position in 1852, due to disagreements with the other members, and returned to Venezuela. Shortly after, he traveled to France to perfect his skills. He stayed there for a few years, then came back to Caracas to take an appointment as Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, a position he held until his death in 1887. Between 1870 and 1873, he created a series of

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...

landscapes of

Zulia State Zulia State (, ; Wayuu language, Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the States of Venezuela, 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Vene ...

. He also decorated the Paéz's home in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

as well as designing the "Plaza de Bolívar" in

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

and planning restorative work on Solano Castle in Puerto Cabello. His most famous work is his portrait of Bolivar, painted in 1873 and later used on several denominations of the

Venezuelan Bolívar The bolívar is the official currency of Venezuela. Named after the hero of South American independence Simón Bolívar, it was introduced by President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, Guzman Blanco via the monetary reform of 1879, before which the Vene ...

banknote.

Selected drawings and paintings

Carmelo Fernandez 00.JPG, ''San Pedro Alejandrino Farm''. 1848. Oil on canvas Carmelo Fernandez 01.JPG, ''The Andes''. Tempera on paper. 180 x 143 cm., collection of the government of Zulia Carmelo Fernandez 02.JPG, ''The Lake''. Tempera on paper. 180 x 143 cm., collection of the government of Zulia Carmelo Fernandez 03.JPG, ''Peasant Encampment''. 180 x 143 cm., collection of the government of Zulia Carmelo Fernandez 06.jpg, ''Muleteer and Hat Weaver in Vélez''. 1850. watercolor.

National Library of Colombia The National Library of Colombia () is a national library located in Bogota, Colombia. The library is a dependency of the Ministry of Culture (Colombia), Colombian Ministry of Culture. Founding and history The National Library of Colombia is g ...

Carmelo Fernandez 07.jpg, ''Palm-Hat Weavers and Sellers in

Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander Department, Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and is the ninth most populous city i ...

''. 1850. watercolor. National Library of Colombia Carmelo Fernandez 08.jpg, ''Notables of the Capital''. 1851. watercolor. National Library of Colombia Carmelo Fernandez 04.JPG, ''Páez Receives the Sword Granted to Him by the Nation''. 1843. Lithograph on paper. Collection of the John Boulton Foundation, Caracas

References

External links

Colombia en cuatro tiempos: Carmelo Fernández 1809–1887
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Carmelo Venezuelan painters People from Yaracuy 1809 births 1887 deaths Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela Venezuelan lithographers