Meadowlark Gallery: The Artist Biographies

Joseph Jacinto Mora (1876-1947)
Joseph Jacinto Mora was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1876 and died in Monterey, California in 1947. He was a sculptor, painter, illustrator, muralist, and author. Mora graduated from Pingry Academy in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1894. He was the pupil of his father and studied at both the American Students League and Chase's School in Boston. He worked as an artist for Boston newspapers until 1900 when he went to Mexico, beginning a horseback tour to gather material for a book while painting and sketching. Mora stopped at the large ranches, joining in the work, until he reached San Jose, California where he sketched the missions. From 1901 to 1902 he was the illustrator of children's books. From 1902 to 1907 he lived with the Hopi and Navajo Indians in Arizona and New Mexico. He learned the languages and painted an ethnological record, particularly of the Kachina ceremonial dances. He then established his studio in Pebble Beach, California where he executed many sculpture commissions including heroic bronzes. He published his humorous Jo Mora maps and wrote two books, "Trail Dust and Saddle Leather" and Californios." The first book was about the horse in America, with his own illustrations. He also painted a watercolor series entitled "Horsemen of the West."
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