Jesus Guerrero Galvan (1910 - 1973)

Mexican artist with an exquisite stroke and refined palette, who was part of the Plastic Creation Movemient, generated the same time as the Mexican Muralist Movement. His theme always went around the boundaries of Mexican spirit with an italianized tonic, creating extraordinary pieces of art such as "Mujer con rebozo blanco" ("Woman with white shawl"), "Mujer de pie" ("Woman standing up") , "Niña en rosa" ("Girl in pink") and "La Nanita" ("The little Nurse"). One of his pictorial characteristics was the feminine presence with their halo of mystery and magic. Maestro Guerrero Galván was born in Tonila, in the State of Jalisco, in 1910. From 1925 and until 1927 he studied at the San Antonio Art School, in Texas, and in 1928 he went to the Escuela de Pintura Libre in Guadalajara. It was in this same city where he made his first mural. During the thirties, he moved to Mexico City. His work as portrait artist is fundamental in Mexico's artistic landscape, although some of his detractors considered him as a "commercial" artist, because he worked that pictorial genre in a deep and disciplinary way. Guerrero Galván had an intense political activity. He was co founder, along with other artists, of the "Alianza de Trabajadores de Artes Plásticas" (Plastic Arts Workers Alliance) in 1934 , and in 1959 co founder with Raul Anguiano, Orozco Romero and Juan O'Gorman of the "Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México" (Mexican Painters and Engravers Union). In 1952 he became deputy for "Partido Popular" (Popular Party) and in 1960 he traveled through the Soviet Union, invited by several local artists. He spent his last years of life in Cuernavaca, Morelos, and died in 1973.