Ricardo Zamorano Molina

RICARDO ZAMORANO MOLINA, (Valencia, 1923- Madrid, 2020).
"Seated child", 1948.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 64 x 50 cm, 68 x 54,50 cm (frame).
Painter, draftsman and engraver. He studied in the Superior School of Fine Arts of Valencia. He was one of the founders in the 20th century of the so-called "Estampa popular" of clear content and social protest. He has made numerous solo exhibitions in various cities in Spain, France, Colombia. He was selected in 1974 to participate in the Venice Biennale in the exhibition "Spain. Artistic Vanguard and Social Reality 1936-1976". He died in Madrid on April 8, 2020.
Zamorano's work is inseparable from his political and social commitment, which does not detract one iota of quality from his painting. It is for the same reason that he played a leading role in the foundation and development of the group of artists called Estampa Popular, created in Madrid in 1959, which was inspired by José Ortega, who was living in exile in Paris. Estampa Popular had, to a greater or lesser extent, its own existence in several important cities, such as Valencia and Barcelona. In all cases, the characteristics of its techniques were similar: the starting point was a critical and social realism, and it was taken to printmaking. That is, the representation of the social reality of a largely agrarian Spain, under the boot of a military dictatorship. The prints, which were intended to be affordable to the working classes, were made with wood and linoleum plates, with strong hallmarks of black and white, and an expressiveness and vigorous strokes, as corresponded to the social message to be conveyed.
He combined this activity with teaching as a drawing teacher in secondary schools, as well as with a very important work as a reference illustrator in magazines such as Ínsula.
Another important facet in Ricardo Zamorano's life was his participation in the literary gatherings of his generation, making his presence indispensable in several of these groups.