Santos Balmori facts for kids

Santos Balmori Picazo (born September 26, 1899, died March 5, 1992) was a talented painter from Mexico and Spain. He was known for his European art style. At first, other Mexican artists, especially those in the Mexican muralism movement, didn't fully appreciate his work. However, he later inspired a new group of artists called the Generación de la Ruptura.

Santos Balmori started his art journey and training in Europe. He later moved to Mexico City. He became a respected professor and researcher at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas. There, he taught many young artists, including Rodolfo Nieto, Pedro Coronel, Carlos Olachea, and Juan Soriano. Even while teaching, he kept drawing. He started painting professionally again after he retired. He had many art shows later in his life.

Life of Santos Balmori

Santos Balmori Picazo was born in Mexico City on September 26, 1899. His father, Ramón Balmori Galguerra, was from Asturias, Spain. His mother, Everarda Picazo, was from Mexico.

He spent his early childhood in Spain. Later, his family moved to Mendoza, Argentina. They then traveled across the Andes mountains by mule to live in Santiago de Chile.

Art Studies in Europe

In Santiago, he joined the Escuela de Bellas Artes. But his guardians did not want him to study art. In 1919, he went to Europe to continue his studies. He started at the Academy of San Fernando in Spain.

His teachers there included famous artists like Joaquín Sorolla. He also studied alongside future artists like Salvador Dalí and Remedios Varo. The Academy believed in painting things exactly as they looked. But Balmori wanted to try new ideas.

So, at age 22, he left for Paris, France. He lived there for 14 years. He studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. He learned about new art styles and movements. He met many famous artists, like Picasso and Matisse. He also saw the work of Italian Futurists and German Expressionists. This is where he first became a successful artist.

He also studied transcendental meditation. Because of health issues, he spent some time in Oran, North Africa.

Family and Later Life

During the Spanish Civil War, he supported the Republicans. This led to him being held in Spain for a time. After returning to Mexico, he continued his support. He even opened a school for children of Spanish exiles.

Balmori Picazo was married three times. All his wives were dancers. His first wife, Marie Thérèse Bénard, passed away soon after they married. His second wife, Rachel Björnstrom, had a daughter with him named Kore Monica. Kore Monica became ill with polio. Rachel took their child to Sweden and never came back. His last marriage was to Helena Jordán Juárez. They were married for over 40 years until his death.

Santos Balmori passed away in Mexico City on March 5, 1992. He was 93 years old.

Santos Balmori's Career

Balmori Picazo started his art career in Paris. There, he met many important people. These included artists like Juan Gris and writers like Rabindranath Tagore. He even painted a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. He also worked with Henri Barbusse on a weekly magazine called Monde. He illustrated texts by famous writers like Albert Einstein.

He designed textiles and created engravings and paintings. He also made posters against fascism, which won him international awards. His strong anti-fascist beliefs and work with writers like Federico García Lorca caused him trouble with the Spanish government.

Exhibitions and Return to Mexico

His first art shows were in Europe. He had successful exhibitions in Paris, Sweden, Brussels, and Madrid. Then he returned to Mexico and had shows in Mexico City. In the 1930s, he joined a group of leftist artists called Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios. He made many illustrations for Luz, a magazine for electricians.

However, in Mexico during the 1930s to 1950s, Mexican muralism was very popular. This art style focused on Mexican themes. Balmori's more international style was not as popular at that time.

Teaching and Research

He became a professor at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas for about 30 years. He also led the Academia de la Danza Mexicana with Miguel Covarrubias. In the 1950s, he helped promote new dance styles in Mexico. He created posters, costumes, and stories for dance shows.

His art students included Rodolfo Nieto, Pedro Coronel, Carlos Olachea, and Juan Soriano. He was also an important researcher and writer about fine arts. He published articles, books, and essays. Two of his books, Aurea Mesura and Técnica de la expresión plástica, were published by UNAM.

Later in his career, he taught drawing, painting, and composition. He taught at La Esmeralda and the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Mexico City. In 1973, he had an exhibition called "Espacios y tensiones." This show featured new ideas in his art. This and his later "Lunar Route" exhibitions were some of his most important shows.

Later Paintings and Legacy

Even though he taught, he never stopped drawing. After retiring from teaching at age 70, he started painting professionally again. He had several exhibitions. His drawings include sketches of dancers and the Ballet Antigona.

You can find his artwork in many museums. These include the Museo de Arte Moderno in Toluca and the Museo de Arte Moderno in Madrid. His work is also in the National Gallery in Prague.

When he was 90, the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City honored him. The Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias in Oviedo, Spain, also held a tribute. Both museums had large shows of his work. More shows of his art have been held after his death, like at the Casa Lamm Cultural Center in 1996.

Santos Balmori's Art Style

Balmori's paintings showed many different European art styles from the 20th century. He was also influenced by Mexican muralism. When he studied in Madrid, he looked at copies of ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian statues. He believed that beyond all shapes, there is a world of light and shadow. He felt it was up to painters to discover its secrets.

His portraits of Gandhi show a mix of classic art and new ideas. They have some changed shapes and geometric forms, showing influence from Cubism and Picasso. You can see the influence of Mexican muralism in his realistic images of people and objects.

When Balmori returned to Mexico in the 1930s, his European-influenced art was not very popular. Other Mexican artists at the time did not recognize his work much, except for Carlos Mérida. However, he greatly influenced the next generation of artists, known as the Generación de la Ruptura.

See also

In Spanish: Santos Balmori para niños