Jorge de la Fuente Cessario
Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
(1928 – 2019)
He was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. His family had Spanish ancestry on his father's side and Italian ancestry on his mother's side. From an early age, Jorge showed a great interest in drawing. He had the fortune of studying under a great master of Mexican art, Efren Ordoñez. In addition to being a prominent painter, he was also a renowned plastic surgeon. His medical training began at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Nuevo León. Subsequently, he pursued postgraduate studies in plastic and aesthetic, as well as reconstructive surgery in Canada and England. Since 1967, he practiced his specialty in various cities, including Monterrey, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Throughout his life, he created a variety of works in different media, including ink drawings, acrylic paintings, and mixed techniques with a variety of diverse themes, from mythology to politics.
De la Fuente produced a series of paintings since 1983 that he called "The Theater of Life." In his own words, he explains: "In this Theater, we, in our daily life, are the Actors. With or without Masks. So in my work, I paint Clowns, Marionettes, Masks, Masks with Masks, Marionettes, Open Windows, that is, Freedom. I like to paint Clocks, but they are always Transparent, that is, the Transparency of Time."
One of his most notable works was the first mural he made on a canvas of over 6 meters in 1989. This mural, titled "Encounter of Two Cultures 1492-1992," was acquired by the Government of Nuevo León. Subsequently, he designed another mural called "Metropasajeros," made in tiles by Cerámica Regiomontana, which is currently located at the Hospital Metro Station in Monterrey, N.L.
In addition to his contribution to art, Dr. de la Fuente was also a passionate tennis player. Taking advantage of his love for tennis, he proposed the idea of creating thematic murals related to this sport near the courts. He presented this project to Iniciativa México and carried out three murals: one in San Miguel de Allende, another in a club in Matehuala, S.L.P., and one more on Salt Spring Island, belonging to British Columbia, Canada. Additionally, he left as a legacy several mural canvases and five murals on walls in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
Jorge de la Fuente also shared his knowledge as an art instructor at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, Texas, for five years. His artistic legacy continues to be appreciated by those who explore his work and his contribution to the world of art.
