Ignacio Merino | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Merino photographed c. 1860 | |
| Known for | Founding the Peruvian school of art |
| Style | History painting,costumbrista,academic art |
Ignacio Merino Muñoz (30 January 1817–17 March 1876) was a Peruvian painter notable for historical andcostumbrista works, and considered the founder of the Peruvian school of painting.[1][2] Beginning at age 6, he spent much of his life in Paris.[3]
His artworks inspired French writerJules Verne's 1852 short story "Martin Paz," which was set inLima, Peru and begins with a summarization of Merino's life and art.[1][3]
Ignacio Merino Muñoz was born on January 30, 1817, inPiura, Peru. His mother Doña Micaela María Muñoz, was from a wealthy aristocratic family inTrujillo, descending from maternal ancestry in both Spanish and Peruvian nobility. His father, Don José Clemente Merino, was a judge, district administrator and military commander.[3] As a toddler on the beach, Merino would draw thecontour outline of sailing ships in the sand, exhibiting skill in observational drawing.[3] By the age of four, he was creating fine art on paper and seemed absorbed in its process, which impressed his mother; she expressed hope that Merino would be the first Peruvian fine artist.[3]
Circa 1827, shortly after reaching 6 years of age, his parents allowed Merino to travel to Paris for an arts education, though they chose not to accompany him.[3] There, Merino attended high school, earned his bachelor's degree in law, and pursued his art career.[3]In Paris, Merino studied under French paintersRaymond Monvoisin andPaul Delaroche, who inspired his interest inhistory painting. As a result of Delaroche's influence, Merino focused on themes from European history, whereas his Peruvian-themed paintings were generally in thecostumbrista category.[4]
In 1838, Merino returned to Peru at 20 years of age, also having studied in Italy and Spain.[3] Upon his return, he established a school oflithography and a school of drawing and paint.[3] He became Assistant Director, then Director of the "Academy of Drawing and Painting," founded byJosé Fernando de Abascal, where he taught or otherwise influenced the careers of other prominent painters, such asLuis Montero Cáceres,Francisco Masías [es] andFrancisco Laso.[5]
During the 1840s, he created a series of portraits devoted to Peruvian saints, includingRose of Lima andMartín de Porres.
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In 1850, he had an opportunity to study withEugène Delacroix, and returned to Paris. He would remain there for the rest of his life. It is said that an exhibition of his costumbrista paintings served as the inspiration forMartin Paz, an adventure story byJules Verne, which was set in Lima.[6] Upon returning to Paris, he produced 92 wood engravings for a luxury 1854 edition ofEsteban Terralla y Landa's [es] 1797 satireLima por dentro y fuera, collaborating with Parisian printer A. Mézin and draftsman A. Jourdain.[7] Many of these engravings, including landscapes, portraits, and popular scenes, served as studies for later canvases of costumbrista themes.[7]
It was there he created his best-known painting,Colón ante los doctores en Salamanca, which was purchased by the government of PresidentJosé Balta after winning a third-place medal at the "Exposition des Beaux-Arts". He was also inspired by European literature and created works based on the writings ofShakespeare,Sir Walter Scott andMiguel de Cervantes.[5]
Merino died oftuberculosis in 1876, and he was buried inPère Lachaise Cemetery. Having never married and without an heir, he ceded his estate and artworks to the Municipality of Lima.[citation needed]
This included 33 paintings which, in 1925, were the first acquisitions of the newly foundedIgnacio Merino Municipal Art Gallery [es], which continues to operate as of 2023.[8]
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