Jose Vela Zanetti

In English

Born in Milagros (Province of Burgos), Spain on May 27, 1913. He spent his childhood in León and later moved to Madrid, where he studied under Jose Ramón Zaragoza. In 1931, his first solo exhibition was held in Leon.

He was awarded a scholarship to study in Italy in 1933. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, his father was executed for his Socialist beliefs. At the end of the war, in 1939, he went into exile in the Dominican Republic, as did artists Josep Gausachs and Eugenio Fernandez Granell.

He was extremely successful in the Dominican Republic. He had his first solo exhibition in Santo Domingo a year after his arrival, and his career as a muralist flourished. Was commissioned to paint more than 100 murals in the country, including works in the Justice Building, Central Bank and National Library (all in Santo Domingo).

In addition to working as an artist, he became a professor at the National School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo in 1945, and was named the school’s Director in 1949.

He won a Guggenheim Fellowship for Hispanic artists in 1951. He used the fellowship to travel to New York and decided to stay for several years. In 1953, he painted his most famous work Mankind's Struggle for a Lasting Peace, a mural at the UN headquarters in New York.

It was painted in a somber palette of blues and browns, the work depicts the horrors of war and shows people working together to rebuild the world. In 1960 he returned to Milagros, Spain, living in the house where he was born.

In his later years, the artist focused on easel paintings, particularly portraits, still-life, landscapes and religious works. He died on January 4, 1999 in Burgos, Spain at the age of 85.

En español

Nació en Milagros (Provincia de Burgos), España el 27 de mayo de 1913. Pasó su infancia en León y más tarde se trasladó a Madrid, donde estudió con José Ramón Zaragoza. En 1931, su primera exposición individual se celebró en León.

Se le concedió una beca para estudiar en Italia en 1933. En 1936, durante la Guerra Civil española, su padre fue ejecutado por sus convicciones socialistas. Al final de la guerra, en 1939, se exilió en la República Dominicana, al igual que los artistas Josep Gausachs y Eugenio Fernández Granell.

Tuvo un gran éxito en la República Dominicana. Realizó su primera exposición individual en Santo Domingo un año después de su llegada, y su carrera como muralista floreció. Fue comisionado para pintar más de 100 murales en el país, incluidas las obras en el edificio de Justicia, el Banco Central y la Biblioteca Nacional (todo en Santo Domingo).

Además de trabajar como artista, se convirtió en profesor en la Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes en Santo Domingo en 1945, y fue nombrado director de la escuela en 1949.

Ganó una beca Guggenheim para los artistas hispanos en 1951. Utilizó la beca para viajar a Nueva York y decidió quedarse durante varios años. En 1953, pintó su obra más famosa de la humanidad trabajar por una paz duradera, un mural en la sede de la ONU en Nueva York.

Fue pintado en una paleta sombría de azules y marrones, la obra representa los horrores de la guerra y muestra las personas que trabajan juntos para reconstruir el mundo. En 1960 regresó a Milagros, España, viviendo en la casa en la que nació.

En sus últimos años, el artista se centró en pinturas de caballete, en particular los retratos, naturaleza muerta, paisajes y obras religiosas. Murió el 4 de enero de 1999 en Burgos, España.

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Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela
vela-zanetti Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
josevela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
Vela Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....
velazanetti Excellent lithograph with a hand and a flower. Signed in pencil in the lower left side and numbered 67/245. Paper dimension is 14 by 19 inches. No frame....