Artist. An important Spanish artist of the 1930s; influenced by Surrealism, he developed a more literal, naturalistic approach, with mysterious elements to create a sense of unease. His most famous painting is "Self-Portrait (Accident)" (1936). Ponce de León was born in Málaga, Andalucía and raised in Madrid, where he studied at the San Fernando School of Arts. He helped organize Spain's Salon of Independent Artists as well as international exhibitions of Iberian art; he had his own solo exhibition in the Spanish capital in 1935. His friends included Luis Buñuel and Federico Garcia Lorca, for whose Barraca Theatre he designed the sets for the plays "La Guarda Cuidadosa" and "El Burlador de Sevilla". Despite these associations his politics veered sharply to the right. In late 1933 he joined the newly-formed fascist Falange and created many propaganda posters and cartoons; this made him a marked man after the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936. Two months later Ponce de León, his father and two brothers were taken and shot by Republican extremists, and their bodies left in a ditch outside Madrid. Today about 50 of his artworks are known to survive, though others may exist in private collections.
Artist. An important Spanish artist of the 1930s; influenced by Surrealism, he developed a more literal, naturalistic approach, with mysterious elements to create a sense of unease. His most famous painting is "Self-Portrait (Accident)" (1936). Ponce de León was born in Málaga, Andalucía and raised in Madrid, where he studied at the San Fernando School of Arts. He helped organize Spain's Salon of Independent Artists as well as international exhibitions of Iberian art; he had his own solo exhibition in the Spanish capital in 1935. His friends included Luis Buñuel and Federico Garcia Lorca, for whose Barraca Theatre he designed the sets for the plays "La Guarda Cuidadosa" and "El Burlador de Sevilla". Despite these associations his politics veered sharply to the right. In late 1933 he joined the newly-formed fascist Falange and created many propaganda posters and cartoons; this made him a marked man after the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936. Two months later Ponce de León, his father and two brothers were taken and shot by Republican extremists, and their bodies left in a ditch outside Madrid. Today about 50 of his artworks are known to survive, though others may exist in private collections.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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