Joaquín Torres García (b. July 28, 1874, Montevideo; d. August 8, 1949, Montevideo) was an Uruguayan painter and sculptor and the founder of constructive universalism .

Early life

Born to a Catalan father and an Uruguayan mother, he moved to Barcelona with his family in July 1891. He soon became fluent in Catalan. In 1891 he painted his first oil painting in Mataró, a small town near Barcelona. Despite some opposition from his father, he studied at the Escuela Oficial de Bellas Artes de Barcelona (the "Llotja", Catalan for "Exchange", as the school had originally been named "Academy of the Exchange") and at the Academia Baixas[1]. While at the Escuela de Bellas Artes, he met Joaquim Mir , Isidre Nonell and Joaquim Sunyer , who later became famous Catalan painters.

In 1897 one of Torres' drawings was accepted accepted by the Barcelona newspaper "La Vanguardia". He soon found a regular job providing illustrations for ultramontanist publications such as the Revista Popular, not out of religious fervor but rather from a desire to show his father that he could earn money through art. He also contributed watercolors, charcoal portraits and etchings to several art exhibitions during this period. Despite Torres' association with Catholic organizations like the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc and the Revista Popular, he became involved with a Bohemian group that included Julio González , Manolo , Eduardo Marquina and Luis de Zulueta .

Career

Around 1900, Torres underwent a spiritual crisis that saw his art become more melancholy. He began to be published in "Pél i Ploma", a highly respected Barcelona art review. He also collaborated with Antoni Gaudí on the building and remodeling of several churches, including the Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona and the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca. These projects did not provide enough income, so Torres began drawing illustrations for books and giving drawing lessons. Through these lessons Torres met Manolita Piña de Rubies, the sister of one of his pupils, and they fell in love. In 1909 they were married. Together they had four children: Olimpia, Ifigenia, Augusto and Horacio.

Torres also worked on several murals during these years in the Church of San Augustín in Barcelona and the Church of the Divine Shepherdess in Sarriá . One of Torres' murals became embroiled in political controversy when it was removed from Barcelona Town Hall by traditionalist members of the city government. Despite strenuous protests from the younger generation of artists, the mural was not restored. In 1910, Torres traveled to Brussels to paint two panels for Uruguay's pavilion at the Brussels Universal Exhibition. Soon after this he began to paint classical and "Mediterranean" paintings, in a style soon to become popular in Catalonia as Noucentisme .

In 1917 and 1918, Torres came upon hard times. He designed and constructed prototypes for wooden toys, but despite a positive critical reception they failed to sell. His financial problems were such that he was concerned about his family's upkeep, so in 1920 he determined to move to America. At a farewell dinner thrown by his friends, Torres was asked if he planned to return to Catalonia. He firmly replied, "No."

New York City greatly impressed Torres, and he produced many cityscape paintings. However, the hard times continued financially, especially because Torres spoke no English.

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