Academy of San Carlos facts for kids
Academy of San Carlos on Academia Street
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| Parent institution | Faculty of Arts and Design (UNAM) |
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| Founder(s) | Charles III of Spain |
| Established | 1781 |
| Focus | Arts (graduate courses, mainly classical European traditional arts) |
| Formerly called | Academy of the Three Noble Arts of San Carlos: architecture, painting and sculpture of New Spain |
| Location | , |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 614: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
The Academy of San Carlos (Spanish: Academia de San Carlos) is a famous art school. It is located in Mexico City, near the main plaza called the Zocalo. This academy was the very first major art academy and the first art museum in all of the Americas.
It started in 1781 as a school for engraving. About ten years later, it moved to its current spot on Academia Street. For a long time, it taught art in a traditional European style. This changed in the early 1900s when it began teaching more modern art. It also joined the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Today, only advanced art courses are taught in the original building.
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History of the Academy
The Academy of San Carlos officially opened in 1783. It was the first art academy in the Americas. European teachers came to Mexico to teach bright students. Before becoming an academy, the building was a hospital called "Hospital del Amor de Dios." It closed in 1783.
A famous engraver named Jerónimo Antonio Gil started an engraving school in 1778. King Carlos VI ordered him to do this. The school was very successful. So, Gil and his partner, Fernando José Mangino, decided to create a new academy. This new academy would teach painting, sculpture, and architecture.
Classes officially began in 1781. They were held in the Real Casa de Moneda (Royal Mint). Rich people, churches, and even some states helped pay for the school.
The first director was an Italian named Jeronimo Antonio Gil. King Carlos III chose him. Gil brought together many important artists of that time. These included José de Alcíbar, Santiago Sandoval, Juan Sáenz, Manuel Tolsá, and Rafael Ximeno y Planes. Tolsá and Ximeno later became directors themselves.
The new school taught Neoclassicism. This style focused on ancient Greek and Roman art. They wanted artists to learn the European way. To help students, plaster copies of famous Greek and Roman statues were brought from Europe.
The official document to establish the school was signed on December 25, 1783. The viceroy Martín de Mayorga asked King Carlos III for it. They chose San Carlos as the school's patron saint.
On November 4, 1785, classes officially started. The school was called the Academy of the Noble Arts of San Carlos of New Spain. In 1788, the San Fernando Academy in Spain sent teachers. One famous teacher was Manuel Tolsá. He taught architecture and sculpture.
The academy wanted its own building. They tried to buy a building designed by Tolsá. But it was too expensive. So, in 1787, they started classes in the old Hospital Amor de Dios building.
From the start, the best artists in the country came to the academy. It helped move Mexican art away from the Baroque style. Baroque art was no longer popular in Europe.
In the early 1800s, the academy closed for a short time. This was because of the Mexican War of Independence. When it reopened, it was called the National Academy of San Carlos. The new Mexican government liked Neoclassicism. They thought Baroque art reminded them too much of colonial times.
Later, Emperor Maximilian I protected the school. He was in Mexico because of the French. But foreign artists were not welcome there. When Benito Juárez became president again, he was not eager to support the school. He saw its European style as a leftover from colonial rule.
The academy kept teaching classic European art until 1913. That year, students and teachers went on strike. They wanted a more modern way of teaching art. The director, Antonio Rivas Mercado, was removed. The academy also became partly connected to the University of Mexico (now UNAM).
In 1929, the architecture program became separate. In 1953, this department moved to the new UNAM campus. The other programs, like painting and sculpture, were renamed. They became the National School of Expressive Arts. Later, the undergraduate art programs moved to Xochimilco. Now, only some advanced courses are taught in the original Academy of San Carlos building.
Famous Artists and Teachers
Many famous artists taught at the academy. Some of the first teachers included Miguel Constanzó for architecture. José Joaquín Fabregat taught metal engraving. Rafael Ximeno y Planes taught painting. Manuel Tolsá taught sculpture. Another important teacher was Pelegrí Clavé. He was known for painting portraits of heroes and biblical figures.
Catalan artist Antonio Fabres was very important in the early 1900s. He taught many future Mexican artists. These included Saturnino Herrán, Roberto Montenegro, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco.
José María Velasco is thought to be the greatest artist from the academy. He was famous for his landscape paintings of the Valley of Mexico. He also taught Diego Rivera. Other artists connected to the academy are Manuel Rodríguez Lozano, Alfredo Zalce, Andrés José López, José Chávez Morado, Francisco Moreno Capdevila, Luis Sahagún Cortés, Gabriel Fernández Ledesma, Roberto de la Selva, and Jorge Figueroa Acosta. Matusha Corkidi also studied there after moving from Egypt.
Mexican muralist Elena Huerta Muzquiz and her daughter Electa Arenal both went to this school.
Architects from the Academy
Many important architects from the 1800s studied at the academy. Juan and Ramón Agea were two of them. They were sent to Rome by the academy to study. They sent back drawings of Roman buildings. These drawings helped other students at the academy. They later became professors there. They also worked as architects in Mexico City. They finished the Monument to Cuauhtémoc after the first engineer died.
Another notable graduate was Manuel Francisco Álvarez (1863). He was an architect and a civil engineer. Álvarez was a city councilor. He was also president of the Asociación de Ingenieros y Arquitectos. He wrote many books about architecture.
The Academy Building
The building was first a hospital called Amor de Dios Hospital. It was empty when the engraving school decided to move there. The first director, Gerónimo Antonio Gil, managed the repair work. Artist Javier Cavallari designed the building's Neoclassic front. It has six round decorations called medallions. Four of these show the academy's founders: Carlos III, Carlos IV, Gerónimo Antonio Gil, and Fernando José Manguino. The other two show famous artists Michelangelo and Raphael.
Cavallari also finished the inner courtyard, the meeting room, and the art galleries. The painting gallery has portraits by Ramon Sagredo. The sculpture room has works by José Obregón and Manuel Ocaranza.
Many plaster copies of classic statues were brought here. They came from the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Spain. These copies were used for teaching. You can still see them in the academy's central courtyard. Some of these copies include statues from the Medici tombs. There are also copies of Moses by Michelangelo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo.
Art Collection
The academy once had a very large art collection. It was called the Gallery of the San Carlos Academy. People considered it the first art museum in the Americas. The collection started with plaster copies of Greek, Roman, and European art. These were used to teach students.
The academy also collected European art. This included engravings from the 1500s to the 1800s. These came from Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany, and Holland. The school also collected art from its students and teachers.
Over time, the collection grew very large. It received gifts from private people. The Mexican government also bought more art after Mexico became independent. The collection became too big for the original building. So, it was divided. Some art went to the Museo Universitario de la Academia. Some went to the National Museum of San Carlos. The rest stayed in the original building.
See also
In Spanish: Academia de San Carlos para niños
- List of colonial non-religious buildings in Mexico City
- Architecture of Mexico
- Mexican art
