Tribute to muralist Pedro Martínez Martínez

Published December 12, 2024

The Ignacio Ramírez Cultural Center ‘El Nigromante’, in San Miguel de Allende, houses within its walls works by the Mexican muralist Pedro Martínez Martínez and, on the occasion of the 123rd anniversary of his birth, the cultural space paid tribute to the painter in order to remember his life.

The murals by Pedro Martínez in the venue were made in 1940 and 1941 as part of the educational program of the then University School of Fine Arts and are located on the ground floor and on the main staircase.

The muralist Pedro Martínez was honored in San Miguel de Allende

The themes projected include traditional details of the time, such as in the works ‘La Pulquería’ and ‘El fanatismo del pueblo’; the history and civic life captured in ‘Guanajuato, seedbed of patriots’ and a tribute to the craft of traditional looms, in the mural entitled ‘Los Tejedores’.

The event was attended by the artist’s family, including his son Pedro Martínez Skosswki and his grandson Pedro Martínez Rosiñol, who gave a lecture entitled ‘Life and work of Pedro Martínez Martínez’.

“The activity is part of the community program of the El Nigromante Cultural Center that promotes the exchange of shared knowledge to build new perspectives from the community memory from their contexts,” said Laura Bustos, director of the place.

Who was Pedro Martínez Martínez?

The muralist’s family revealed unique details about the life of Pedro Martínez

Pedro Martínez was born in Monterrey in 1901 and although he began drawing as a child, he never achieved the status of someone like Diego Rivera or David Siqueiros, although Cossío del Pomar said that he was “born a painter.”

His family did not believe that art was a worthwhile career, so he studied at business school to please his father. Fortunately, his talent was discovered by one of the great artists of that time, Alfredo Ramos Martínez, who convinced his father that the boy was extremely talented and should study art.

The muralist showed interest in the world of art from a young age.

Between 1939 and 1941 he lived in San Miguel de Allende where, in addition to leaving part of his legacy, he taught classes at Bellas Artes.

In 1943, he moved to Mexico City where he began working for a film company creating large landscapes. He also painted posters for some of the films of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and continued to teach periodically at the San Miguel School of Art. He also made clay modeling, carved wood sculptures and made bows and arrows because he enjoyed target shooting.

Source: periodicocorreo