José María Velasco Gómez

Biography

José María Tranquilino Francisco de Jesús Velasco Gómez Obregón, widely known as José María Velasco, was born on July 6, 1840, in Temascalcingo de José María Velasco. He was a Mexican painter, landscape artist, lithographer, graphic artist, university professor, traveler, and arts figure. Velasco became famous for making Mexican geography a symbol of national identity through his paintings. He received wide international recognition and was among the most popular artists of his time. Velasco was awarded numerous medals, including gold medals at the Mexican National Fine Arts Exhibitions in 1874 and 1876, a gold medal at the 1876 Philadelphia International Exhibition commemorating the centennial of U.S. independence, and a medal at the 1889 Paris World Exhibition marking the centennial of the French Revolution. His painting “Valley of Mexico” is considered a masterpiece from which he produced seven different versions. Among all 19th-century artists, Velasco was the first to be recognized in the post-revolutionary period as an example of nationalism. He passed away on August 26, 1912, in Mexico City.