Cajiga, Luis Germán	Born in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico in 1934. His interest for art led him to obtain the favor of Doña Ines, the country's First Lady, who assisted him in entering in the art program at the Division of Community Education. He studied art from 1952 until 1958. Cajiga has taken his name very far away from his country, as far as Russia. Today his work can be seen at his studio in San Justo Street in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. His work is very folkloric and depicts the innocence of the "jibarito" he used to be- it conveys the powerful message that we need to move back to a more simple life.
Campeche, Jose	José Campeche was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1751. His mother was a freed slave, and his father was from the Canary Islands. He studied humanities, philosophy and music in the Dominican's Convent. His father, a painter and artisan introduced him to painting. From Luis Paret y Alcaza, a Spanish Court painter, he learned the painting style of the XVIII century and the Rococo. Campeche's work consists of portraits and religious paintings. Campeche died in 1809. His legacy consisted of more than 400 paintings. Most of them were commissioned by churches while other are portraits of prominent and rich people.
DuFore, Pedro	Born in New York City, a Puerto Rican of the Latin Diaspora. His works has a jazzy attitude. When you look at his art you can not but listening to the sounds of the saxophone melting your heart away.
Gargost, Estefán	Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1967, the son of Mr. Julio Garcia Arzuaga and Pilar Agosto Marrero. Although he was born in the United States of America, the family moved to Toa Alta, Puerto Rico when he was a couple weeks old. Estefán is a insider painter (self-taught) and his paintings are diverse, he does not concentrate in just one subject matter, or medium, which has brought him some criticism from other artists. He has won several local contests for his use of color and texture. Visit his website www.gargost.com or visit various galleries around the world (go mama go!, Washington, D.C., The Ninth Life Fine Art Gallery, Saint Thomas, among others).
Lugo, Alma	Born in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. At the age of seven she migrated with her parents to New York City. When she graduated from high school she went back to Puerto Rico for a visit and overwhelmed by the beauty of the tropical vegetation, she remained and enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico. Ms. Lugo has won several prizes for her work. Among them, first prize in watercolor at the IBEC sponsored juried exhibition in Ponce, Puerto Rico, honorable mention at the Christmas show at the Ateneo Puertorriqueño and recognition for her sculptures in Macrame in Gainesville, Florida. She has exhibited her work in Puerto Rico, North Carolina, Florida, Washington DC and Maryland.
Oller y Cestero, Francisco	Francisco Oller y Cestero was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He received formal art education during his first visit to Europe during 1852-53. He studied in La Real Academia de Bellas Artes (Real Academy of Fine Arts) in Madrid under the tutelage of Federico Medrazo. In a trip to France he was deeply influenced by the art of Gustave Courbet, "the father of modern Realism". Courbet's perspective of the function of art (to define the world as it is, without idealizing anything) influenced Oller's artwork. In subsequent trips to Paris (1874-78 and 1895-96) he met painters such as Paul Cézzane, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Antoine Guillemet and Antoine Guillaumin. Francisco Oller, an educated man and an abolitionist, wanted to make a significant change in a non-revolutionary way. He tried to promote art education in the Puerto Rico, but the timing wasn't the best. During his lifetime he was able to witness the abolition of slavery in 1873, and Puerto Rico's transition from a Spanish colony to a U.S. territory. Oller died in 1917 in San Juan, PR.

Do you know of any Puerto Rican Painters? Please e-mail us with names and contact info by clicking on this link: Artistas Puertorriqueños.