Armando José Isabel García-Menocal y García-Menocal (1863 – 1942), commonly known as Armando Menocal, was a Cuban painter[1] and educator.

La Jura de Santa Gadea by Armando Menocal, 1889

Biography and career

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Menocal was born on July 8, 1863, in Havana, Captaincy General of Cuba, Spanish Empire (now Cuba).[2] He first studied at the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro in his native city, under Miguel Melero.[2] In 1880 he went to Spain for further study with Francisco Jover y Casanova.[2] In Spain he also became acquainted with the work of Joaquín Sorolla and the thinking of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo. He also exhibited in Spain, winning numerous awards.

Menocal later returned to Cuba to join the Liberation Forces in the Cuban War of Independence; upon its completion, he dedicated himself to the teaching of art, returning to his alma mater as a professor of landscape painting. In 1927 he was named director; in 1940 he became director emeritus. One of his notable students was Pastor Argudín Pedroso.[3]

His paintings decorated many public buildings around Havana, and today may be seen in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana. He was also a member of Cuba's National Academy of Arts and Letters. He died on September 28, 1942, in Havana.

References

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  1. ^ "El Ministerio de Cultura solicita la cesión de 'La Jura de Santa Gadea'" [The Ministry of Culture requests the transfer of 'La Jura de Santa Gadea']. HortaNoticias.com (in Spanish). July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Armando Menocal". Cernuda Arte. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  3. ^ Schomburg, Arthur A. (1934-10-20). "Pastor Argudin Y Pedroso, Most Eminent Spanish Painter, A Negro, Says Schomburg". The New York Age. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-02-15 – via Newspapers.com.