José Caballero (painter) facts for kids

José Caballero (born June 11, 1915 – died May 26, 1991) was a famous Spanish painter. He was known for trying many different styles and techniques in his art. His paintings during the time around the civil war were quite unique and stood out from other artists.

Early Life and Artistic Journey

José Caballero began his artistic journey in the late 1920s. He met the poet Adriano del Valle. In 1930, he met Daniel Vázquez Díaz, another artist. Vázquez Díaz was painting large murals, called frescoes, at the La Rábida monastery.

Caballero moved to Madrid in 1931. However, he stayed connected to his hometown. That same year, he had his first art show there. It was held at the Mercantile Circle.

Meeting Key Artists and Writers

In 1932, Caballero joined Federico García Lorca and others. They put on an art show at the Popular Ateneo. The drawings were considered shocking and the show only lasted one day!

In 1933, Lorca invited Caballero to join "La Barraca." This was a traveling theater group. Caballero helped by creating drawings for their stage sets. Through this, he met many important artists and writers. These included Alberto Sánchez, Pablo Neruda, Rafael Alberti, Miguel Hernández, Maruja Mallo, Joaquín Torres García, and Luis Buñuel.

Luis Buñuel introduced Caballero to surrealism. This art movement explores dreams and the imagination. Buñuel showed him collages by Max Ernst, which are artworks made by gluing different pictures together.

Surrealism and Contributions

In 1935, José Caballero created three surrealist posters. These were for a performance he did with Adriano del Valle in Seville. He also drew pictures for poems by Lorca and Neruda.

Caballero contributed to many magazines. Some of these included Cruz y Raya and Caballo Verde para la poesía (Green Horse for Poetry). He also took part in the first Drawing Fair in 1935. This fair was organized by the Iberian Artist Society.

Art During and After the Civil War

In 1937, José Caballero spent several months at the battlefront. This was during the Spanish Civil War. He created drawings and maps there.

After the war, he made surrealist drawings. These often included themes related to Catholicism. They appeared in magazines like Vértice. In 1945, he participated in the "III Salón de los Once" (Third Hall of the Eleven).

Five years later, in 1950, he was invited to a big art show. This was the XXV edition of the Venice Biennale in Italy. He also had his first major solo exhibition in Madrid. This show was held at the Clan gallery.

Later Artistic Styles

José Caballero kept exploring new art styles. In the 1950s, he moved away from realistic art. He tried to combine geometric abstraction with informalism. Geometric abstraction uses shapes like squares and circles. Informalism focuses on the texture and feel of the materials.

His art continued to change and grow. He remained an important artist in Madrid until his death.

Awards and Legacy

In 1984, José Caballero received a major honor. He won Spain's National Award for Plastic Arts. This award recognizes top artists in Spain.

Today, you can see José Caballero's paintings in Madrid. They are displayed at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo.

See also

In Spanish: José Caballero para niños