José Clemente Orozco

Montreal painter Stanley Cosgrove was deeply interested in the mural art of the Mexican fresco painters, and worked in Mexico with the master José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949). He moved to Mexico in 1940 and, upon completing his studies drawing, became Orozco’s assistant in 1943 to execute the fresco The Apocalypse According to Saint John for the ceiling of the chapel of the Jesús Nazareño Hospital in the capital. Painted at that time, this portrait, one of Cosgrove’s best, suggests his fellowship with Orozco, providing a more serene and profound vision than can be seen in Orozco’s self-portraits.