Armando Menocal was a Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

n painter. He first studied at the Academy of San Alejandro in his native city, before going to Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 in 1880 for further study with Francisco Jover; there he also became acquainted with the work of Joaquín Sorolla and the thinking of Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo

Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo

Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo was a Spanish scholar, historian and literary critic. Even though his main interest was the History of ideas, and Hispanic philology in general, he also cultivated poetry, translation and philosophy.He was born at Santander where he showed that he was an infant prodigy...

. He also exhibited in Spain, winning numerous awards. Menocal later returned to Cuba to join the Liberation Forces in the Cuban War of Independence

Cuban War of Independence

Cuban War of Independence was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War and the Little War...

; 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

Emeritus

Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...

. His paintings decorated many public buildings around Havana, and today may be seen in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana

The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. It was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect...

. He was also a member of Cuba's National Academy of Arts and Letters. He died in 1942.

Reference

• Biography at Cernuda Arte