Gabriel Guerra
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Guerra was a Mexican
sculptor. He was born in Unión de San Antonio, Jalisco
and trained at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (National School of Fine Arts) in Mexico City
where he studied with Miguel Noreña.
Significant monumental sculptures by Guerra include Torture of Cuauhtémoc (1886), which was one of a group of bronze reliefs by various artists cast for the monument to Cuauhtémoc
, and General Carlos Pacheco
on commission for the state of Morelos
. The former depicts Cuauhtémoc's encounter with Hernán Cortés
, and was opened to the public on 21 August 1887 at a total cost of over 97,000 pesos and a total weight of over 11,000 kilograms of bronze. The latter was completed in plaster in 1892 and cast posthumously in bronze in 1894.
Guerra's work in secular subjects marked a departure from the Biblical themes that had dominated Mexican sculpture of the mid-nineteenth century. Guerra's interest in portraying Mexican historic subjects from the perspective of the country's indigenous inhabitants marked him as part of a politically significant liberal artistic movement that was active late in the century. Guerra died at the age of 46.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
sculptor. He was born in Unión de San Antonio, Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
and trained at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (National School of Fine Arts) 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...
where he studied with Miguel Noreña.
Significant monumental sculptures by Guerra include Torture of Cuauhtémoc (1886), which was one of a group of bronze reliefs by various artists cast for the monument to Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521...
, and General Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Pacheco was born in San Roque, Cádiz. He is best known in the United States for his work on titles such as Avengers Forever, X-Men and Green Lantern...
on commission for the state of Morelos
Morelos
Morelos officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 33 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca....
. The former depicts Cuauhtémoc's encounter with Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, and was opened to the public on 21 August 1887 at a total cost of over 97,000 pesos and a total weight of over 11,000 kilograms of bronze. The latter was completed in plaster in 1892 and cast posthumously in bronze in 1894.
Guerra's work in secular subjects marked a departure from the Biblical themes that had dominated Mexican sculpture of the mid-nineteenth century. Guerra's interest in portraying Mexican historic subjects from the perspective of the country's indigenous inhabitants marked him as part of a politically significant liberal artistic movement that was active late in the century. Guerra died at the age of 46.