Gustavo Montoya

GUSTAVO MONTOYA (Mexico City, 1905 -2003).
Untitled.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 56 x 45,5 cm.
The stylistic characteristics of this work, such as the aesthetics and the theme represented, indicate that the painting probably follows in the wake of the series of "Mexican Children", one of the most recognized of the author. In fact, the piece presents great similarities with many of his pieces that belong to the aforementioned series. An example of this are those in the collection of the Fundación Universidad de las Américas Puebla. In these works we see a girl sitting on a chair holding an object in her hands, in this particular case a basket of flowers. His most commercially successful works were those of children dressed in traditional costumes of the region, which showed the influence of Diego Rivera. Most collectors of his work were people who appreciated his traditional style, especially from the United States.
In 1918, after the war Montoya was able to finish high school, and enrolled in the San Carlos Academy, where he entered at the age of fifteen, with Germán Gedovius and Roberto Montenegro as teachers, and where he painted his first works, such as Cabeza de viejo, Desnudo and La monja. His first professional artistic work was making posters for movies with the West Coast Theaters Co. in the United States, starting in 1928. He returned for a time to Mexico, where he worked with Pastor Velázquez and other artists and worked in 1936 at the National School of Plastic Arts (ENAP). Subsequently, he traveled to Europe and then to New York, where he held several exhibitions, before returning again to Mexico in 1942. At this time, he focused on the work of his fellow Mexicans, joining the Mexican neorealism movement to continue the traditions of Mexican muralism. In 1953 he returned to teach at ENAP. His first exhibition was at the Durand Gallery in Los Angeles, California, followed by exhibitions in Mexico, as well as in Peru, the United States, Belgium, Japan and other countries. His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in San Antonio, Texas, in 1978. In 1985 he exhibited at the Galería Arte Núcleo in Mexico City. He participated in group exhibitions at the Diego Rivera Mural Museum and the Marstelle Gallery in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, the Diego Rivera Mural Museum made an anthology of his work, referring to him as a "Great Silent One". His work has been called "Late Mexican School of Painting", as it follows the style of the muralists of the early 20th century.