Pastor Argudín Pedroso
Afro Cuban painter (1880–1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pastor Argudín Pedroso (1880 – 1968), also known as Pastor Argudín Y Pedroso,[1][2] was a Cuban portrait and genre painter, and teacher.[3][4] He was internationally exhibited and was awarded the Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes by the Republic of Cuba, for his artistic merit.
April 9, 1880
Pastor Argudín Pedroso | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pastor Argudín y Pedroso April 9, 1880 Havana, Captaincy General of Cuba, Spanish Empire (now Cuba) |
| Died | 1968 (aged 87–88) |
| Other names | Pastor Argudín Y Pedroso, Pastor Argudin Y Pedroso, Pastor Argudin |
| Education | Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando |
| Occupations | Painter, teacher |
| Awards | Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes |
Biography
Pastor Argudín Pedroso was born on April 9, 1880 in Havana, Captaincy General of Cuba, Spanish Empire (now Cuba).[5] Some citations state his birth year is 1889.[6] His Afro-Cuban parents had been enslaved in Havana; his father Argudín Lombillo was enslaved by the Casa de Lombillo in Habana Vieja, and his mother Maria de Jesus Pedroso had been enslaved by the Casa de Pedroso.[2][6] Argudín Pedroso attended one of Salvador José Zapata's elementary schools in Havana.[2] At a young age he studied art under Spanish painter and decorative artist, Francisco Piera.[2] He was promoted for his natural skills, and worked on painting the ceiling of the La Merced Church.[2]
He attended college at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro in Havana.[7] He studied at the Academy under Leopoldo Romañach, Armando Menocal, Luis Mendoza Sandrino, and Miguel Melero Rodriguez.[2] This was followed by a 1912 scholarship to study in Madrid, Spain at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where he conferred a bachelor's degree.[7] In Spain, he studied under José Moreno Carbonero, Miguel Blay, Cecilio Plá, and Gonzalo Bilbao.[2]
Argudín Pedroso lived and worked in France, Italy, and the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. He continued his studies at Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma in Rome; followed by study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris under Émile-René Ménard.[2] Argudín Pedroso was a guest of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, and lived at his house in Brooklyn, New York for almost one year in the 1930s.[8]
Argudín Pedroso is said to have painted some 300 portraits by 1937,[2] many of which were notable people. Some of his portrait subjects included Rafael María de Labra,[2] Cayetano Quesada (Cuban consul in New York City),[9] Arturo Alfonso Schomburg,[9] John La Farge,[9] Rev. John LaFarge Jr.,[9] and Abraham Lincoln,[10][11] among others. Argudin exhibited at the Société des Artistes Indépendants in Paris, starting around 1924;[12][13] and he was part of the noted group exhibition, "1933 Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists", hosted by the Harmon Foundation at the Art Centre in New York City.[8]
Exhibitions
- 1915, National Exhibition of Fine Arts, Madrid, Spain; with painting, "Shepard With Flock of Sheep"[2]
- 1917, National Exhibition of Fine Arts, Madrid, Spain; awarded honorable mention with painting of Antonia la Castiza[2]
- 1919, Galerie des Elyesses, Paris, France[2]
- 1924, Exposition d'Art Américain-Latin, Cuba, Société des Artistes Indépendants[13]
- 1925, "Three Latin-American Canvasses", Musée Galliera (now Palais Galliera), Paris, France[2]
- 1929, Cuba building murals at Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, Seville, Spain[2]
- 1933, "1933 Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists", Harmon Foundation, Art Center, New York City, New York, United States[8][14]
- 1935, "Pastor Argudin y Pedroso", solo exhibition, New York Public Library at the 135th St. Branch, Harlem, New York City, New York, United States[15]
- 1935, "Pastor Argudin y Pedroso", solo exhibition, Harmon Foundation headquarters, New York City, New York, United States[9]
- 1938, Harmon Foundation, Kenosha Historical and Art, Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States[16]