Lucinda Urrusti facts for kids

Lucinda Urrusti (1929 – 25 March 2023) was a famous Mexican artist. She was born in Melilla, Spain. Her family moved to Mexico in 1939 to escape the Spanish Civil War. Lucinda stayed in Mexico for the rest of her life. She was part of a group called the Generación de la Ruptura. This group of artists changed how art was made in Mexico. Most of her art is like Impressionism or abstract art. She was also very good at painting portraits. She painted many important people in Mexico.

Lucinda Urrusti's Life Story

Lucinda Urrusti was born in 1929 in Melilla, Spanish Morocco. Her father was a soldier from the Basque area of Spain. The Spanish Civil War started when she was a child. She lived in a camp in France with her mother and brother.

After finding her father, the family left for Mexico. They were on the first boat carrying Spanish refugees. Mexico's President Lázaro Cárdenas allowed Spanish refugees to settle there. The Urrusti family arrived in Mexico in 1939.

Lucinda did not go to school much as a child. Her father taught her at home. In Mexico, she studied at the Luis Vives Institute. There, she had her first art lessons. When she was eighteen, she became a Mexican citizen.

She took art classes at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda". This was from 1948 onwards. She learned drawing, oil painting, and fresco work. She thought about studying architecture. But she loved fine arts more. While studying, she worked part-time. She worked at the new Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. This helped her meet many artists.

Lucinda Urrusti had a very active art career. She lived and worked in Mexico City. She passed away in Mexico City on March 26, 2023. She was 94 years old.

Lucinda Urrusti's Art Career

Lucinda Urrusti started showing her art in 1953. She exhibited in Mexico and other countries. She showed her work at the Youth Biennial in Paris. She also showed it at the Pan-American Biennial of Mexico.

She had over 150 art shows. These were individual and group exhibitions. Her last big show was in 2004. It was called Matérica Íntima. She even had a show at the famous Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Her art became well-known. Art critics started noticing her work in 1959. They wrote good reviews about her paintings. Early on, her art was seen as equal to other famous artists. These included Isabel Villaseñor and María Izquierdo. Over time, many writers and poets also admired her work.

Besides creating art, Lucinda also worked as a curator. She worked at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. She was also an art teacher.

Urrusti was a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. Since 1993, she was part of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte. Two books were written about her life and art. They were published in 2009 and 2012. These books showed her work from 1959 to 2011.

Lucinda Urrusti's Artistic Style

Lucinda Urrusti was part of the Generación de la Ruptura. These artists broke away from the old Mexican mural painting style. She admired muralism but chose her own path. She felt art was more than just political messages.

She believed painting should communicate feelings. She used objects, colors, and textures. Her main focus was space and light. She also used changing colors. She often mixed colors with geometric shapes. These often looked like still life paintings. She also painted animals, everyday objects, and people. Her works are often called Impressionism or abstract.

Urrusti mostly worked with oils and drawings. But she tried other techniques too. She experimented with graphics, ceramics, and book illustrations. Later, she also made sculptures. These were made from bronze and stone.

Art critics said her paintings showed a lot of emotion. Light played a big part in her art. She experimented with different materials. She used wood, paper, ceramics, and dried leaves. These added texture to her paintings. She often used textured paper.

One special technique she used was applying thin layers of color. She especially liked using whites and blues. She also added small pieces of ceramic to her oil paintings. This made them look like collages. She also drew with blurred lines. This gave her drawings a sense of depth.

Lucinda Urrusti also painted landscapes sometimes. But her other main art form was portraits. Her talent for portraits was first noticed in 1961. She painted many famous people. These included Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz. Most of the people she painted were important in arts and sciences in Mexico.

See also

In Spanish: Lucinda Urrusti para niños