The Art of Jose Moya del Pino
Velazquez Exhibition
We have two wonderful paintings in our collection from the 1920s by Jose Moya del Pino. They brought the artist to America and also get credit for keeping him here. Read about their long history and travels in Rediscovering the Moya Velazquez Paintings.
Portraits
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By the time the "Exhibiciones Velázquez" reached San Francisco, the Spanish government was in a state of collapse and there was no more financing for the tour. America was in the Great Depression, and Moya faced hard times. He turned to portraiture at which he excelled, but, as most of his private patrons did not wish to have their portraits exhibited, Moya's talent was known only to a small group.
One example is a wonderful portrait of the Cramer sisters from the 1930s. We recently met Ann T. Morrison, owner of a portrait by Jose Moya del Pino. Find out what is special about it in Meeting the Portrait and Subject. |
 The Cramer Sisters
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A Bay Scene in Coit Tower
In 1934, Moya was asked by Otis Oldfield to paint a bay scene for the Coit Tower Lobby. Entitled San Francisco Bay, North.
It is a companion piece to Oldfield's painting of the San Francisco Bay and Rinaldo Cuneo's two paintings, Bay Area Hills.
You can visit the Tower today to see his work along with many other wonderful artists of the time. Free tours are also offered by San Francisco City Guides. For more information on current efforts to preserve the Tower and much more, visit Protect Coit Tower.
It is a companion piece to Oldfield's painting of the San Francisco Bay and Rinaldo Cuneo's two paintings, Bay Area Hills.
You can visit the Tower today to see his work along with many other wonderful artists of the time. Free tours are also offered by San Francisco City Guides. For more information on current efforts to preserve the Tower and much more, visit Protect Coit Tower.
The Aztec Brewery Murals
In 1934, Moya was involved in an elaborate project in San Diego, an entire tap room at the Aztec Brewery. Read about the Jose Moya del Pino Aztec murals in the Journal of the Brewery History Society. Based in the UK, the Brewery History Society promotes research into all aspects of brewing history.
The Gathering of the Hops
Moya completed the Acme Brewery murals in November 1935 The Acme Brewery murals may be seen as part of the regional impulse then flourishing in the United States. Regional realist painters celebrated the qualities of their local environments, the places they knew best. In the Acme Brewery murals Moya del Pino explicitly praises California's natural environment by placing Mt. Tamalpais and the Golden Gate (pre-bridge) in the background of the picnic scene, and the productivity of the land and its human inhabitants in the other two panels depicting the growing of the ingredients and the beer-making process.
Moya completed the Acme Brewery murals in November 1935 The Acme Brewery murals may be seen as part of the regional impulse then flourishing in the United States. Regional realist painters celebrated the qualities of their local environments, the places they knew best. In the Acme Brewery murals Moya del Pino explicitly praises California's natural environment by placing Mt. Tamalpais and the Golden Gate (pre-bridge) in the background of the picnic scene, and the productivity of the land and its human inhabitants in the other two panels depicting the growing of the ingredients and the beer-making process.
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"A Family Picnic" represents "typical Americans" enjoying the bounty of farming and the brewer's arts while they share the joy of family and the Bay Area's incomparable vistas. In this panel Moya del Pino has been freed from the sort of specific documentation the other two panels' subject matter required. The model for the central figure is believed to be the artist's wife.
Post Office Murals
Moya completed a series of Bay Area Post Office murals completed for the Treasury Department Section of Painting and Sculpture from 1936-1941.
The The Living New Deal, www.livingnewdeal.org, included an article about the Jose Moya del Pino mural in Alpine, Texas. This organization recognizes the many lasting impacts from the New Deal era and we are proud of Moya's contributions during that time.
The The Living New Deal, www.livingnewdeal.org, included an article about the Jose Moya del Pino mural in Alpine, Texas. This organization recognizes the many lasting impacts from the New Deal era and we are proud of Moya's contributions during that time.