Carlos Baca-Flor
Encyclopedia
Carlos Baca-Flor Soberón (May 14, 1867 – February 20, 1941) was a Peruvian painter known for his portraits.
, Arequipa
, in the south of Peru
. After his first birthday, his family moved to Santiago
, Chile
. In Santiago, Baca-Flor did his first studies, showing a talent for art which was encouraged by his parents. When Baca-Flor was 13 years old, his father died; he was placed under the care of his cultured and generous mother Julia. Every Friday, she invited 12 poor children to their house and personally looked after them. Their life was hard, and they spent days without eating for lack of money. To earn a living, his mother taught piano to children in wealthy Santiago.
In Chile, Baca-Flor was extremely close to his friends and teachers. When he was in the Academia de Artes de Santiago he was just a teenager, impetuous and full of ideas. Students in years above him called him "the critical" (el crítico) because he found the defects in their work. Always excelling, he won the gold medal in painting, sculpture, and drawing every year.
At the end of his studies, he received the Rome Prize, a special award for having won the last three contests in a row. On the podium the day of the awards, the rector of the Academia de Artes offered to naturalize him, since being Chilean was a requirement for the award. Baca-Flor declined the offer, saying he could not betray his homeland, and left the ceremony immediately.
He arrived in Paris in 1890 with the help of the Peruvian government. There he met the Spanish master Francisco Pradilla, who directed the Academia Española de Bellas Artes of Roma, and he was a close friend of the Catalan young painter Hermen Anglada Camarasa.
In 1907, he won first place in the annual salon of French artists; sixty critics unanimously declared him the winner. His work was exhibited in the "Salon of Honor". The next year, he met John Pierpont Morgan, the American banking magnate. That year, Morgan had been visiting the clothes designer for his family, the famed Mr. Worth. Entering the tailor's workshop, he saw on the back wall a painted portrait of Worth, and exclaimed, "Incredible... I should meet him; I never thought I would find a painter who could paint my portrait" (Increíble... Debo conocerlo, jamás pensé encontrar a un pintor que pudiera retratarme).
Morgan visited Baca-Flor accompanied by Count León Molk, a friend of Baca-Flor and relative of Morgan. Morgan introduced himself to Baca-Flor and requested that Baca-Flor paint his portrait. For nearly two years, Baca-Flor traveled to the United States to paint Morgan; over time, they became friends.
Baca-Flor's life ended with fame and professional success. He died in France in summer 1941. A good collection of his works is conserved at the Museu de Terrassa
, an old town near Barcelona http://www.terrassa.cat/Front/final/_YJxQFCkYh8wkmfKicwkkZpwCAZaZ3Wm8qGrY_w-RZ6lSYJqVJUyTow.
In Peru, a few examples of his work are held by the Museum of Art. The largest collection of his work is held by the heirs of the magnates he painted.
Biography
Baca-Flor was born in the port of IslayIslay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
, in the south of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. After his first birthday, his family moved to Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. In Santiago, Baca-Flor did his first studies, showing a talent for art which was encouraged by his parents. When Baca-Flor was 13 years old, his father died; he was placed under the care of his cultured and generous mother Julia. Every Friday, she invited 12 poor children to their house and personally looked after them. Their life was hard, and they spent days without eating for lack of money. To earn a living, his mother taught piano to children in wealthy Santiago.
In Chile, Baca-Flor was extremely close to his friends and teachers. When he was in the Academia de Artes de Santiago he was just a teenager, impetuous and full of ideas. Students in years above him called him "the critical" (el crítico) because he found the defects in their work. Always excelling, he won the gold medal in painting, sculpture, and drawing every year.
At the end of his studies, he received the Rome Prize, a special award for having won the last three contests in a row. On the podium the day of the awards, the rector of the Academia de Artes offered to naturalize him, since being Chilean was a requirement for the award. Baca-Flor declined the offer, saying he could not betray his homeland, and left the ceremony immediately.
He arrived in Paris in 1890 with the help of the Peruvian government. There he met the Spanish master Francisco Pradilla, who directed the Academia Española de Bellas Artes of Roma, and he was a close friend of the Catalan young painter Hermen Anglada Camarasa.
In 1907, he won first place in the annual salon of French artists; sixty critics unanimously declared him the winner. His work was exhibited in the "Salon of Honor". The next year, he met John Pierpont Morgan, the American banking magnate. That year, Morgan had been visiting the clothes designer for his family, the famed Mr. Worth. Entering the tailor's workshop, he saw on the back wall a painted portrait of Worth, and exclaimed, "Incredible... I should meet him; I never thought I would find a painter who could paint my portrait" (Increíble... Debo conocerlo, jamás pensé encontrar a un pintor que pudiera retratarme).
Morgan visited Baca-Flor accompanied by Count León Molk, a friend of Baca-Flor and relative of Morgan. Morgan introduced himself to Baca-Flor and requested that Baca-Flor paint his portrait. For nearly two years, Baca-Flor traveled to the United States to paint Morgan; over time, they became friends.
Baca-Flor's life ended with fame and professional success. He died in France in summer 1941. A good collection of his works is conserved at the Museu de Terrassa
Terrassa
Terrassa is a city in the east central region of Catalonia, Spain, in the comarca of Vallès Occidental, of which it is the co-capital along with Sabadell, the historic capital....
, an old town near Barcelona http://www.terrassa.cat/Front/final/_YJxQFCkYh8wkmfKicwkkZpwCAZaZ3Wm8qGrY_w-RZ6lSYJqVJUyTow.
Partial list of portraits
- John Pierpont Morgan (in the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
) - Cardinal Pacelli, later Pius XII
- Douglas HydeDouglas HydeDouglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...
, President of Ireland - Éamon de ValeraÉamon de ValeraÉamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
, Prime Minister of Ireland - George Fisher Baker, president of First National Bank
- Count León Molk
- Baron Schleswig-Holstein
- Nicholas BradyNicholas BradyNicholas Brady , Anglican divine and poet, was born in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. He received his education at Westminster School and at Christ Church, Oxford; he graduated from Trinity College, Dublin....
, President of the Knights of Columbus - EL Marston, director of Chase National Bank
- Seward Prosser, director of Chase National Bank
- GW Perkins, director of Chase National Bank
- Daniel GuggenheimDaniel GuggenheimDaniel Guggenheim was an American industrialist and philanthropist, and a son of Meyer Guggenheim.-Biography:...
, mining magnate - Gates W. McGarrah, president of the Federal Bank
In Peru, a few examples of his work are held by the Museum of Art. The largest collection of his work is held by the heirs of the magnates he painted.