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Art in Embassies Mexico
History
3 MINUTE READ
April 17, 2023

Gerardo Murillo "Dr. Atl"

Gerardo Murillo was a painter, writer, author, and pioneer of the Mexican movement for artistic nationalism.  He changed his name to Dr. Atl (meaning “Doctor Water” in Náhuatl) in 1902 to reinforce his Mexican identity.  His most famous paintings and drawings are of the Valley of Mexico and the volcanoes of Popocatépetl and Ixtacihuatl. He combined traditional landscape painting with contemporary experiments, distorting lines and shapes to create a unique nationalistic form of expression.  His remains rest in the Roundabout of Illustrious Persons in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

El Maizal (Milpa Seca), 1955

Oil on Masonite, 33 7/16 × 52 3/16in. Courtesy of Fomento Económico Mexicano (FEMSA)