José Campeche y Jordán (December 23, 1751 – November 7, 1809), is the first known Puerto Rican

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts a ...

and considered by art critics as one of the best

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

artists in the Americas. Campeche y Jordán loved to use colors that referenced the landscape of Puerto Rico, as well as the social and political crème de la crème.

Early life

Campeche was born in

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), ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. His parents were Tomás Campeche (1701–1780) and María Jordán y Marqués. His father was a freed slave born in Puerto Rico and his mother was a native of the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...

so he was considered to be . His father was a gilder who restored and painted religious statues, and had an influence on the young Campeche's interest in the arts. Campeche was trained by

Luis Paret y Alcázar Luis Paret y Alcázar (11 February 1746 – 14 February 1799) was a Spanish painter of the late- Baroque or Rococo period. Biography He was born in Madrid he first trained with Antonio González Velázquez and attended the Academia Real de San ...

, a Spanish court painter banished from Spain.El Nuevo Dia

Paintings

Campeche distinguished himself with his paintings related to religious themes and of governors and other important figures. His most famous paintings and his best known portraits are of: * ''

Juan Alejo de Arizmendi Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi (July 17, 1760 – October 12, 1814) was a patriot and the first Puerto Rican to be consecrated Bishop. Early years Arizmendi de la Torre (birth name: Juan Alejo de Arizmendi y de la Torre was born in San Juan, P ...

'' * ''

Our Lady of Bethlehem Our Lady of Bethlehem (Spanish: la Virgen de Belén) is a Flemish-style oil painting that arrived in Puerto Rico. Specialists in 15th-century art attribute the painting to the school of Brussels painter, Rogier van der Weyden, or to an anonymo ...

'' * ''Portrait of Brigadier don Ramón de Castro y Gutiérrez'' * ''Portrait of Governor don Miguel de Ustariz'' * ''

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

'' * ''The Bishop of San Francisco de la Cuerda'' * ''The Rescue of Don Ramón Power y Giralt'' in honor of

Ramón Power y Giralt Captain Ramón Power y Giralt (October 7, 1775 – June 10, 1813), commonly known as Ramón Power, was, according to Puerto Rican historian Lidio Cruz Monclova, among the first native-born Puerto Ricans to refer to himself as a " Puerto Rican" a ...

* ''The Sacred Family'' * ''The Virgin of the Rosary'' * ''The Vision of Saint Anthony'' * ''Virgen de la Soledad de la Victoria'' * ''Doña María de los Dolores Gutiérrez del Mazo y Pérez'', ca. 1796.

Importance

Not only did the Puerto Rican society of the time appreciate Campeche's personal and artistic merits but he is now considered to be amongst the most gifted rococo artists in the Americas. His works of art can be found in museums, churches and chapels, such as

Capilla del Cristo ''Capilla del Cristo'' (Chapel of Christ), also called is a small chapel / museum located in the Old San Juan Historic District of Puerto Rico. Built in the 18th century and saved from demolition in the 20th century, the structure has become a ...

in San Juan, and in private collections in Puerto Rico and

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 ...

. Campeche died in the city of

on November 7, 1809. High-resolution images of works of art from Puerto Rico's museums are being digitized and made available online with the help of the Institute,

Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world. It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...

Lin Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals '' Hamilton'' (2015) and ''In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animat ...

and other stakeholders. 350 such works were available online by November 7, 2019 including many works by José Campeche.

Commemorations

* There is a "José Campeche room" in the former Dominican Convent in

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (s ...

, where some of his works can be seen. The building is currently being renovated and will be reinaugurated as the National Gallery of Puerto Rico. * Puerto Rico has various schools and avenues named after Campeche to honor his memory. The José Campeche High School is located in

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

. *

Manuel Gregorio Tavárez Manuel Gregorio Tavárez Ropero (November 16, 1843 – July 1, 1883), was Puerto Rico's classical and danza composer. He has been called "The Chopin of America". Early years Tavárez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of a French father ...

composed a funeral march "Redención" in Campeche's honor. * Puerto Rican graphic artist Lorenzo Homar also created a work of art commemorating Campeche. * Campeche is buried in the

San José Church San José Church ( es, Iglesia de San José), located in Old San Juan within the historic colonial zone of the capital of Puerto Rico, is one of the first significant works of architecture on the island. The church is one of the earliest surviving ...

in Old San Juan.

Notes

References

External links

El Nuevo Dia
* José Campeche - Testigo de la Ciudad, Arturo Dávila, Cuadernos de Cultura #12, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 2005
Scholarly articles
about José Campeche at th
Spanish Old Masters Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campeche, Jose 1751 births 1809 deaths Puerto Rican painters People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Canarian descent Puerto Rican people of African descent Puerto Rican Roman Catholics Catholic painters