Hermenegildo Sosa

Hermenegildo Sosa (born April 12, 1946) is a Mexican painter and art professor who is best known for colorful depictions of Mexican rural landscapes, especially those of his home state of Tlaxcala. He was born there into a farming family, whose economic condition delayed his education as he had to work from a young age. In his teens he arrived to Mexico City to work as a domestic, but this allowed him to attend school, including painting classes. Eventually, he entered the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda", where he eventually gained a career as a professor.

Sosa's has been extensively exhibited in the Mexico City area, his home state of Tlaxcala and has been exhibited in the United States and Germany. His work has been recognized with various awards, publications, tributes and membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana.

Background Sosa (full name José Hermenegildo Sosa Zamora) was born in the small rural community of San Andrés Buenavista, Tlaxcala, northwest of Mexico City. His creative tendencies appeared early and were encouraged by his parents; however; his father was killed when Sosa was only five. This forced his mother to leave San Andrés with her three youngest children, which included Hermenegildo, and live in the larger town of Apizaco, Tlaxcala, arriving when Sosa was eight. Sosa had to start working while very young, doing a number of jobs to support himself and his family. At age ten, he went to Mexico City to work as a domestic service at a private home, initially sending money home to his mother. The teacher of this class, José Rivera, arranged to allow Sosa to attend an ENAP class as an unmatriculated student with Fermín Rojas, and Sosa participated in an exhibition with the class. Rojas recognized the young man's talent and encouraged him to continue his studies. However, Sosa could not continue at the school because of his lack of credentials.

Instead, he finished middle school at age 23 and was able to get steady employment a buy a modest house in the Granjas Valle de Guadalupe, Seccion B, a housing tract just outside the bounds of Mexico City. This allowed him to distance himself from his stepfather while maintaining a relationship with his mother. In 1988, he received his master's degree in fine arts from the same institution.

Sosa learned various styles of drawing and painting, but his rural background in part led him to be interested in landscape painting. In the 1970s, this format was undervalued and not taught at La Esmeralda . They were successful, with the classes taking place on intermittent weekends. In 1982, he passed the exam at La Esmeralda that permitted him to become a full-time instructor. In addition, an exhibition of his work called Nuestra Casa (Our House/Home) toured his native state in 1992, and has been exhibited in numerous collective shows in Mexico and the United States, including New York, Saint Paul, MN, Scottsdale, AZ and Chicago.

The artist's works can be found in public and private collections in Mexico, the United States and Germany, and various books have been published such as El Color de la Vida presented at the Tlaxcala State Fair in 2007.

Sosa was accepted into the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana and in the early 2000s he served as the board's president.

In 2011 the city of Tlaxco inaugurated the Hermenegildo Sosa Cultural Center,

Sosa's teaching has received various recognitions from La Esmeralda. Common elements include foliage, mountains, volcanoes, with flowers used to symbolize life. Most of his depictions of rural Mexico relate to his experience of this environment, and is a celebration of Mexican life. The change from rural to urban life made a profound impact on the artist during his life. Whiile his rural scenes are generally positive and colorful, his depictions of urban life tend to be dramatic and chaotic, depicting pollution, buildings in poor condition and traffic. demonstrating urban sprawl and its effects on the environment and the poor. His still lifes are an exploration of form and color, with the creativity most apparent in the choice of elements and the visual angle.

Sosa's work blends elements of impressionism and expressionism with some abstraction.

According to Alí Chumacero: His main world, his achievement as an artist, is the composition of flowers, plants, mountains, volcanos and colors. Flowers are a tribute to life, illuminated by the Sun, along with marigolds and sunflowers that appear in the shadows on occasion.

Sosa’s work is also metamorphosis, movement, as much in the clouds and sky as in the field and earth, in the yellows of the flowers and the green that extends all the way to the horizon and joins with the sky that acquires the yellow tones of the Sun.