Adolfo Bellocq
Encyclopedia
Adolfo Bellocq was an influential Argentine artist known for his lithographs.
Born in Buenos Aires
, Bellocq was self-taught in the art of xylography and engraving
. He was appointed Director of the Lithography Workshop at Buenos Aires' renowned Ernesto de la Cárcova
Fine Arts School, in 1928. Soon earning his first awards for in his evocative work portraying harsh working conditions then prevailing in Buenos Aires' southside slaughterhouses, Bellocq parlayed this accomplishment into the first Argentine Lithography Exposition, in 1931.
Contributing to Buenos Aires' premier art periodical at the time, Claridád, he began working closely with a number of the magazine's other contributors, forming what became known at the "Boedo
Group" (named after the southside avenue where Claridád was published). He also illustrated a number of books, notably a 1930 edition of José Hernández's Martín Fierro
.
Bellocq drew the attention of Buenos Aires art patrons like Francisco Colombo and Eduardo Bullrich and was awarded a silver medal at the Paris International Art Exposition of 1937
; but, though Colombo and Bullrich financed the curation of over 400 examples, over 2000 of Bellocq's lithographs were lost over the years due to his having made them on newsprint and untreated wooden planks.
Born in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Bellocq was self-taught in the art of xylography and engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
. He was appointed Director of the Lithography Workshop at Buenos Aires' renowned Ernesto de la Cárcova
Ernesto de la Cárcova
Ernesto de la Cárcova was an Argentine painter of the Realist school.-Life and work:Ernesto de la Cárcova was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1866. Taking an early interest in the canvas, he studied at the local Society for the Stimulus of Fine Arts under painter Francisco Romero...
Fine Arts School, in 1928. Soon earning his first awards for in his evocative work portraying harsh working conditions then prevailing in Buenos Aires' southside slaughterhouses, Bellocq parlayed this accomplishment into the first Argentine Lithography Exposition, in 1931.
Contributing to Buenos Aires' premier art periodical at the time, Claridád, he began working closely with a number of the magazine's other contributors, forming what became known at the "Boedo
Boedo
Boedo is a working class barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The neighborhood and one of its principal streets were named after Mariano Boedo, a leading figure in the Argentine independence movement....
Group" (named after the southside avenue where Claridád was published). He also illustrated a number of books, notably a 1930 edition of José Hernández's Martín Fierro
Martín Fierro
Martín Fierro is a 2,316 line epic poem by the Argentine writer José Hernández. The poem was originally published in two parts, El Gaucho Martín Fierro and La Vuelta de Martín Fierro . The poem is, in part, a protest against the modernist tendencies of Argentine president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento...
.
Bellocq drew the attention of Buenos Aires art patrons like Francisco Colombo and Eduardo Bullrich and was awarded a silver medal at the Paris International Art Exposition of 1937
Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)
The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne was held from May 25 to November 25, 1937 in Paris, France...
; but, though Colombo and Bullrich financed the curation of over 400 examples, over 2000 of Bellocq's lithographs were lost over the years due to his having made them on newsprint and untreated wooden planks.