JOSÉ ESTÉVEZ, PRESIDENT OF THE ENRIQUE OCHOA FOUNDATION, APPOINTED AS NEW ACADEMICIAN OF THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS OF EL PUERTO DE SANTA CECILIA.

  • José Estévez’s grandfather, the painter Enrique Ochoa born in El Puerto de Santa María, called by some “the painter of music” and by others “the painter of women”, was also a member of the Academy of Santa Cecilia and Favourite Son of El Puerto.
  • Ochoa was the author, among others, of the illustrations of the Complete Works of Rubén Darío and more than 2,000 illustrations for the best magazines, short novels and other literary works of the first part of the 20th century.
  • The Enrique Ochoa Foundation works for the study, analysis, conservation and distribution of the work of this prolific artist and humanist, who was born in El Puerto de Santa María in 1891.

 

El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz), September 2017. José Francisco Estévez Rodríguez, President of the Enrique Ochoa Foundation (www.enriqueochoa.com) has been nominated as the new Academician, Member of the Santa Cecilia Academy of Fine Arts, El Puerto de Santa María. This distinction comes as recognition of his work in retracing and promoting the work of his grandfather, Enrique Estévez Ochoa, born in El Puerto de Santa María in 1891.

In his speech to the Academy, entitled "Enrique Ochoa: his place in the history of art", Mr Estévez highlighted the importance of the artist and his influence in different artistic movements, from the beginning of the 20th century to his death in 1978. Last year, the Foundation that bears his name commemorated the 125th anniversary of his birth.

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Enrique Estévez Ochoa, best known as "Enrique Ochoa”, was characterized from his first beginnings as a brilliant portrait painter in the historical context of the first quarter of the twentieth century. Also well known for his outstanding drawing technique, he was a brilliant illustrator of books and of the most important magazines of his time as "Por ese Mundo", "La Esfera", "Nuevo Mundo", "Mundo Latino", "Estampa" or "Blanco y Negro". His work for the ornamentation of the Complete Works of Rubén Darío and for a special edition of "Don Quixote" was remarkable.

This great artist, despite the diversity of his artistic register as a painter, has been called by some critics as the "painter of music", the "woman's painter", or the "painter of the bourgeoisie" by others.

He has also been considered a precursor of gesturalism in painting and of abstract art in Spain.

The speech given by José Francisco Estévez as the new Academician of Santa Cecilia was complemented by the distinguished scientist and humanist from Cádiz, Mr. Francisco González de Posada (Doctor of Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Philosophy and Letters and Physical Sciences, Professor, Rector of the University of Cantabria and President of Cáritas Spain), on behalf of the corporation.