Omar D'Leon
Encyclopedia
Omar D'León is a well-known Nicaraguan
painter
and poet
.
D'León studied nine years at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Nicaragua under its director Rodrigo Penalba. His early inspiration were the frescos of Pompeii
, where he saw the use of cross-hatching and applied this technique to his love of the Impressionist school.
He founded a museum in Managua in 1970 named "Museo-Galeria 904". The museum's collection encompassed the arts of Nicaragua from pre-Hispanic to contemporary. In the earthquake of December 1972
, D'León's museum and studio were partly destroyed and later ransacked, vandalized and robbed. After the Sandinistas took power in Nicaragua, he moved to Camarillo, California
.
In 1982, one of his paintings was reproduced in the form of a UNICEF stamp. His paintings are housed in many museums such as the Art Museum of the Americas
in Washington, D.C.
, at the Ponce Museum of Art
in Puerto Rico, at the Museum of Latin American Art
in Long Beach
, the Chicago Art Institute and the José Luis Cuevas Museum
in Mexico City
.
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
D'León studied nine years at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Nicaragua under its director Rodrigo Penalba. His early inspiration were the frescos of Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
, where he saw the use of cross-hatching and applied this technique to his love of the Impressionist school.
He founded a museum in Managua in 1970 named "Museo-Galeria 904". The museum's collection encompassed the arts of Nicaragua from pre-Hispanic to contemporary. In the earthquake of December 1972
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
The 1972 Nicaragua earthquake was an earthquake that occurred at 12:29 a.m. local time on Saturday, December 23, 1972 near Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. It had a magnitude of 6.2 and occurred at a depth of about 5 kilometers beneath the centre of the city. Within an hour after the main...
, D'León's museum and studio were partly destroyed and later ransacked, vandalized and robbed. After the Sandinistas took power in Nicaragua, he moved to Camarillo, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
In 1982, one of his paintings was reproduced in the form of a UNICEF stamp. His paintings are housed in many museums such as the Art Museum of the Americas
Art Museum of the Americas
AMA | Art Museum of the Americas is an art museum located in Washington, D.C., primarily devoted to exhibiting works of modern and contemporary art from Latin America and the Caribbean. The museum was formally established in 1976 by the Organization of American States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, at the Ponce Museum of Art
Ponce Museum of Art
Museo de Arte de Ponce, or MAP, is an art museum located on Las Americas Avenue in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is considered the finest art museum in Puerto Rico. It houses a collection of European art, as well as work by Puerto Rican artists. The largest art museum in the Caribbean, it has also been...
in Puerto Rico, at the Museum of Latin American Art
Museum of Latin American Art
The Museum of Latin American Art was founded by Dr. Robert Gumbiner in 1996 in Long Beach, California and serves the greater Los Angeles area. MoLAA is the only museum in the United States exclusively dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American art. Since its inception, MoLAA has doubled...
in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, the Chicago Art Institute and the José Luis Cuevas Museum
José Luis Cuevas Museum
The José Luis Cuevas Museum and Church of Santa Inés are located just off the main plaza, or Zocalo of Mexico City and started out as parts of the same convent complex. The museum was founded in what in colonial times was the residential portion of the convent of Santa Inés . This convent was...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.