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Biography of Julio Cesár Castillo RosadoJulio Castillo is an artist from Mérida, Yucatan, México, who represents a new generation of Mexican painters that portray the lives of indigenous Mexico. Deeply influenced by Costa Rican artist Francisco Zúñiga, Julio draws and paints the native people in their own environment. His works speak of the quiet power and life force of a people struggling to preserve their way in a modern world. The strength of women, makes his work unique. Born in 1951 in Mérida, Julio Castillo grew up in the city where he attended the Mérida School of Fine Arts when he was only 10. Over the years, as he perfected his techniques and skills, his interest in art has always consumed him. He has exhibited in more than 30 galleries and museums in Mexico during the past 23 years. “My father abandoned my family when I was only four. It was very hard for my mother, Rinelda, who was left with four children. But she was a determined woman and she worked very hard to keep us together and to support our family. Always, I have liked drawing. When I was only 9 years of age, I began my life of art. As a young person, I would go to the cinema each Sunday to the matinee. Then, during the following week, I would begin to draw the scenes of the movies I had seen. “When I was 10 years of age, my mother saw my pleasure for drawing and she took me to the School of Fine Arts in Mérida and enrolled me. It was there that I studied my first year of painting. I then started the next year, but could not continue because my family didn't have the resources. So my mother's plan for an artistic career for me was at an end. But my interest in art continued. It is my passion! I did not stop drawing or painting. Whenever I could, I studied from books, magazines of art and from other artisits. My drawing and painting have never stopped,” says Julio. While living in Guadalajara, following 8 years in the military, Julio studied art in a community of artists who displayed their art each week in the Jardines del Arte and the Glorieta de Chapalita. It was there he met a Canadian artist who worked in pastel. From him, Julio began a passion for this medium to portray the human figure. The first formal showing of his art was in the summer of 1982, at the Gallery of Art in Sayula, Jalisco, Mexico. Upon his return to Mérida, Yucatán in 1992, Julio joined Art-Ho, a group of noted contemporary artists in the capital city. In this art rich environment, Julio began to sketch, draw and paint the Maya, the indigenous people of the Yucatán. Drawing from his memory as a boy and the many Maya who lived in the small towns and pueblos across the peninsula, he enthusiastically began a body of art that continues today. In Mérida, he also instructs art to adults and children, teaching classes in drawing at a preparatory school.
“Many have
asked, ‘Why is it in your paintings there
are more women than men?’ My reply is that
in Mexico, the indigenous woman fulfills an
obligation that I believe a man would never
take on. It is very common for a man to
leave his home, breaking away from all
responsibility and obligation. But these
wonderful women, even in the most adverse
situations, remain true to their families.
It is their care and love that
makes
the home. My work is homage to these women
and their identity.” |
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Resume of Julio Cesar
Castillo Rosado |
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