William Grauer

untitled (Street Scene Mexico)

c. 1930 s

Mountainous Landscape, Mexico Monotype in colors on heavy paper, c. 1960's Signed in ink lower left "G Ceniceros" Condition: Excellent Image size: 6 x 14 1/2" (15.24 x 36.83cm) Sheet size: 12 7/8 x 19 11/16 inches Guillermo Ceniceros (born May 7, 1939) is a Mexican painter and muralist, best known for his mural work in Mexico City, as well as his figurative easel work. He began his mural painting career as an assistant to mural painters such as Federico Cantú, Luis Covarrubias and then David Alfaro Siqueiros who was a mentor and a key influence. Ceniceros is the most notable of Siqueiros' assistants. While he has experimented with abstract expression, his easel work mostly classifies as figurativism and is influenced by the geometrical construct of Mexican muralism. He has had over 300 individual and collective exhibitions in Mexico and the International stage. His work has been recognized by the Mexican Ministry of Culture and several of its institutions. He has painted over 20 large scale Mural Paintings with some of the most notable being the large scale work for the Legislative Palace of San Lazaro (Mexico's Legislative Building) as well as his murals in the Metro Subway System. He is a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. In 1995, the State of Durango, Ceniceros' native state, opened to the public the Guillermo Ceniceros Art Museum within the oversight of the Ministry of Culture. Ceniceros has been reviewed by notable critics such as Berta Taracena, Raquel Tibol, Alaide Foppa, Graciela Kartofel, José Angel Leyva and Eduardo Blackaller among others. There are several publications about his work including a vast review of his art life endeavors developed by the Ministries of Culture of Durango and Nuevo León. He is married to the artist Esther González and lives in his studio house in the Colonia Roma of Mexico City. Life Interview with the subject Ceniceros and Siqueiros Ceniceros was born in a small village called El Salto, located in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo in the Mexican state of Durango. His father was a woodworker who made toys and furniture in his workshop. His father's shop would become an influence in Ceniceros' life long interest in developing his own innovative working tools. When he was twelve the family moved to Monterrey to seek better economic opportunities. There he attended school and when he was fourteen he entered the Fabricación de Máquinas, S.A. (FAMA), a school/business, where he studied industrial drawing. He considers this early training important as it taught him the importance of geometry, use of space and materials. While at FAMA he met painters Gerardo Cantú and Ignacio Ortiz, and collaborated with them on sketches for publications of Alfonso Reyes, Pedro Garfias and other notable writers. In 1955, he enrolled in the Taller de Artes Plásticas at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, graduating in 1958. At the Taller he met fellow Mexican artist Esther González, whom he married and with whom he has two children. In 1962 he moved to Mexico City with the goal of working in the Taller of the Maestro David Alfaro Siqueiros. He became Siqueiros' first assistant working on his last murals while at the same time working at night on his easel painting work. Siqueiros supported Ceniceros decision to leave his Taller and supported him in his career until his death in 1974. By then Ceniceros was already a break thru artist having had several individual exhibitions including the prestigious Palacio De Bellas Artes as well as other recognitions. Thru the 70's and 80s Ceniceros continued his work with an emphasis on exhibits and exchanges abroad and traveling to Eastern Europe, Cuba, China, Chile, Ecuador, Italy and the United States. His Mexico City contemporaries and circle would include names that today have become reference such as Sebastian, José Luis Cuevas, Gilberto Aceves Navarro, Benjamin Dominguez, Gustavo Arias Murueta, Byron Galvez, Leonel Maciel among others. In the 70's his Row-House neighbors in the colonia Roma were Francisco Toledo and Alejandro Jodorowski. His focus on mural painting is renewed in the mid 80's thru his large scale work in the Metro Subway System with him working on major commissions consistently and into the new century. While the Mexican school of Muralism had been challenged by the Ruptura members, the interest in Mural painting as a unique national form of expression continues. He lives in Mexico City at a studio/home in the Colonia Roma. His home is a frequent gathering place for writers, poets, painters, singers, actors and journalists. He has a strong interest in Spanish language literature. Juan Rulfo...

Signed and dated "1962" by the artist lower right. Mixed media on heavy paper. Done for a show to fund a trip to Italy.

Read the Signs #3 Watercolor on Yupo paper, 2013 Signed lower right (see photo) Series: Read the Signs (22 watercolors) Depicts the artist's relative Jaylen ...

Read the Signs, No. 13 Watercolor on Yupo paper, 2013 Signed lower right corner (see photo) Series: Read the Signs (22 watercolors) Exhibited: William Busta Gallery, Read the Signs, 2014 Canton Museum of Art, Our Separated Selves, 2018 (label) Note: Depicts Randy, a student at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, where the artist taught Condition: Excellent Image size: 12 x 9 inches Frame size: 16 1/4 x 13 1/4 inches Darius Steward Biography Darius Steward is establishing himself as a master of the medium of watercolor and large public murals. In 2018, Steward created two large public murals, “Breaker of Chains”, a 200’ by 6’ in height mural for the Midtown Cleveland/Cleveland State University and “Support” on Detroit Avenue in Cleveland. A new mural “Waiting Room” has been finished at SUMMA Health Care Tower, Akron, Ohio. Darius is currently working on a public sculpture commission for the Cleveland Public Library...

Obregon Alley was painted in Ajijic, Mexico in late afternoon light. It is a view of a narrow alley, emphasizing windows and doors, with trees and a mountain in the background. There...

San Miguel, Mexico By Dong Kingman (American, 1911-2000) Unframed: 22" x 15" Framed: 31" x 24" Signed Lower Left Born in Oakland, CA on March 31, 1911. When Kingman was five, his family moved to Hong Kong where he grew up and attended Lingnan Grammar School. The headmaster of the school, Szetu Wei, had studied painting in Paris and recognized his budding artistic talent. For several years he trained young Kingman in both oriental and occidental approaches to painting. Returning to San Francisco in 1929, Kingman became active in the local art scene and began painting scenes of the city. His first solo show at the San Francisco Art Center in 1936 brought immediate recognition. During the 1930s he spent five years working on commissions for the Federal Public Works of Art Project. During WWII he created maps and charts for the O.S.S. After the war Kingman settled in NYC and taught at Columbia University. His paintings were used as backdrops for the movie "Flower Drum Song...

A charming, vibrant, early Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a quiet street in the historic, picturesque city of Gua...

This 20th-century watercolor painting, “New Mexico,” by Polish-American artist Pawel Kontny, captures the enduring architecture and serene spirit of the American Southwest. The work ...