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Alfredo Ramos Martínez (November 12, 1871 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico – November 8, 1946 in Los Angeles) was a painter, muralist, and educator, who lived and worked in Mexico, Paris, and Los Angeles. Considered by many to be the 'Father of Mexican Modernism', Ramos Martínez is best known for his serene and empathetic paintings of traditional Mexican people and scenes. As the renowned Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío wrote, "Ramos Martínez is one of those who paints poems; he does not copy, he interprets; he understands how to express the sorrow of the fisherman and the melancholy of the village.” 〔Maria Sodi de Ramos Martínez, “Paris” ''Alfredo Ramos Martínez'', translated by Berta de Lecuona, The Martínez Foundation, 1949.〕 ==Early years 1885-1900== Ramos Martínez was born in 1871 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, the ninth child of Jacobo Ramos and his wife Luisa Martínez.〔Maria Sodi de Ramos Martínez, “First Years” ''Alfredo Ramos Martínez'', translated by Berta de Lecuona, The Martínez Foundation, 1949.〕 His father was a successful merchant trading in jewelry, fine fabrics, silver, embroidered suits and hand-woven sarapes from Saltillo. All members of the Ramos Martínez family were involved with their father’s business and it was expected that the artist, too, would one day join the ranks of “honorable merchant”. However, Ramos Martínez's evident talent and instincts propelled him towards a career in the arts; a choice that his family ultimately supported. At the age of fourteen, one of Ramos Martínez's drawings, a portrait of the governor of Monterrey was sent to an exhibition in San Antonio, Texas and won first prize. A portion of that prize included a scholarship to study at the most prestigious art school in all of Mexico, the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes (Academy of Fine Arts) in Mexico City.〔Jean Stern, “Alfredo Ramos Martínez” included in ''Alfredo Ramos Martínez'', Louis Stern Galleries, October 1991.〕 Thus the entire Ramos Martínez family relocated to Coyoacán, a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City. From an early age Ramos Martínez was recognized as prodigiously talented. As a student, his preferred medium was watercolor and he won numerous awards for his achievements. Though he found the teaching methods at the Academy repressive and counter-intuitive to his more emotional plein air impulses, Ramos Martínez created a significant body of work that he was able to sell while still a student.〔Brooke Waring, “Martínez and Mexico's Renaissance” ''The North American Review Quarterly'', Vol. 240, December 1935.〕 Gratifying as his youthful accomplishments were, the news from France, and the examples of the brilliance of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists, persuaded the young painter that he needed to be in Europe to continue his education and define his career. Though his family was by no means poor, they did not have funds to support Ramos Martínez's European dream. In a supreme bit of good fortune, Phoebe Hearst attended a dinner in Mexico City for the President of Mexico, Porfirio Díaz, which featured place mats designed and painted by the young Ramos Martínez. Hearst was so impressed with the decoration that she asked to meet the artist and see other examples of his work. After their meeting, she not only bought all of Ramos Martínez's watercolors, but agreed to provide financial support for the artist's continued study in Paris.〔Margarita Nieto and Louis Stern, “Mexico”, ''Alfredo Ramos Martínez & Modernismo'', Alfredo Ramos Martínez Research Project, 2010.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alfredo Ramos Martínez」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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