Antonio Sánchez Araujo

ANTONIO SÁNCHEZ ARAUJO (1887-1946).
"Landscape with house and bridge".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 28,5 x 40 cm.

Antonio Sánchez Araujo was a Cuban costumbrista painter recognized by his vibrant and colorful technique, standing out in the landscape, the portrait and the popular scenes. He began his training in Havana and, from 1918, continued his studies in Europe thanks to a five-year scholarship from the Cuban Congress. He perfected his art in Madrid and Barcelona, and spent three years at the Colarossi and Grande Chaumiere Academies in Paris, where he also copied the Great Masters at the Louvre Museum. Throughout his life, his work was widely exhibited and recognized. Among his most notable solo exhibitions were those held at the Cuban Senate Palace (1918), the Gayetanas Galleries in Barcelona (1919) and the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid (1921). He also participated in important group exhibitions, such as the Salón de Otoño de Madrid (1920-1921), exhibitions in San Francisco (1925) and Philadelphia (1926), where he won a Bronze Medal for "La Silla de Gibara" (The Chair of Gibara). He received gold medals in group exhibitions in Baltimore (1930) and at the Lyceum Society of Havana (1932), and was included in "300 Years of Art in Cuba" at the University of Havana (1940). Between 1926 and 1929, Sanchez Araujo directed the Escuela Libre de Bellas Artes, and from 1926, he served as professor and deputy director of the San Alejandro Academy. He died in Havana in 1946. His artistic legacy is kept alive through posthumous exhibitions, such as those held at the Bacardi Gallery in Miami (1988) and the Museum of Arts and Science in Daytona Beach (2005), where his work "La Rumba" was exhibited. His legacy continues in posthumous exhibitions, such as at the Bacardi Gallery of Miami (1988) and the Museum of Arts and Science in Daytona Beach (2005) with his work "La Rumba".