Fidelio Ponce de León
Encyclopedia
Fidelio Ponce de León was the pseudonym
of Alfredo Fuentes Pons, a Cuba
n painter. A native of Camagüey
, he studied at the San Alejandro Academy in Havana
from 1913 until 1918. Along with Antonio Gattorno
, Victor Manuel
, Amelia Peláez
, and Wifredo Lam
, he is considered part of the "Vanguardia" movement in Cuban art; however, unlike many of his contemporaries he never studied in Europe, and so had comparatively little contact with European modernism
. Nevertheless, he listed among his influences Amadeo Modigliani, along with El Greco
, Rembrandt, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
. His paintings are also reminiscent of those of Edvard Munch
. Later in life Ponce de León contracted tuberculosis
; he died in Havana in 1949. The Museum of Modern Art
is among the museums containing examples of his work.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Alfredo Fuentes Pons, 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. A native of Camagüey
Camagüey
Camagüey is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third largest city. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province.After almost continuous attacks from pirates the original city was moved inland in 1528.The new city was built with a confusing lay-out of winding alleys that made...
, he studied at the San Alejandro Academy in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
from 1913 until 1918. Along with Antonio Gattorno
Antonio Gattorno
Antonio Gattorno was the first Cuban artist of his generation to achieve an international reputation as a universal contemporary that transcended his ethnicity. He is one of the founders of Cuba's Modernist Movement, yet he is also one of the most underrated major painters of the 20th...
, Victor Manuel
Víctor Manuel García Valdés
Víctor Manuel García Valdés was a Cuban painter of the Avant-garde movement.-Biography:Born in Havana, at age 6 he already showed a precocious attitude for drawing. At age 12, he started studying arts at San Alejandro Art School, the most recognized art school in Cuba...
, Amelia Peláez
Amelia Peláez
Amelia Peláez del Casal was an important Cuban painter of the Avant-garde generation.-Biography:Amelia was born in 1896 in Yaguajay, in the former Cuban province of Las Villas...
, and Wifredo Lam
Wifredo Lam
Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla , better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit and culture...
, he is considered part of the "Vanguardia" movement in Cuban art; however, unlike many of his contemporaries he never studied in Europe, and so had comparatively little contact with European modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
. Nevertheless, he listed among his influences Amadeo Modigliani, along with El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
, Rembrandt, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Bartolomé Estéban Murillo
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...
. His paintings are also reminiscent of those of Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
. Later in life Ponce de León contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
; he died in Havana in 1949. The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
is among the museums containing examples of his work.