Noé Canjura (1922 - 1970) The Embrace, Dated 1950

A strong and powerful work by the Salvadoran painter Noé Canjura depicting an embracing couple. An intimate subject of great emotional power.

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1950
lower left. Dimensions: 115 x 66 cm.
Titled Abrazo and signed on the back. Noé Canjura,

From El Salvador to Paris

Noé Canjura is an icon in El Salvador, representing the greatest movement of the Fine Arts school of his generation. He also symbolizes the human capacity for reinvention and transforms a humble, barefoot young student into the powerful creator of his own existence. Canjura's painting is a synthesis of several influences that profoundly mark his character and his art. He composes powerfully, with numerous details while remaining very subtle; his simple color planes suggest a beginning of abstraction.

The embrace, an intimate subject of great emotional power.

In our painting, the couple embraces with tenderness and completeness, becoming one. Their pose speaks of loving union, of a feeling of eternity for this couple expecting a child. A true hymn to love! One cannot help but think of Constantin Brancusi's sculpture The Kiss (1907) and see a parallel with Gustav Klimt's famous painting The Kiss (1908), which has inspired many artists.

A stylized sculptural work in a decorative format

This piece is dated 1950.  Noé Canjura had just arrived in Paris, still steeped in the monumental paintings and murals of Diego Rivera and Latin American culture.

Biography

Noé Canjura was born in Apopa, a village in El Salvador, Central America, into a family of humble farmers. They lived in great poverty. To help pay for his expenses and continue attending school, Canjura helped his father while working in a sawmill.

His talent for drawing was discovered at age 17, and his adventure in the art world began. He first studied painting at the Academy of the Spanish master Valero Lecha in San Salvador, the capital.
In early 1942, Canjura participated in exhibitions with Lecha's group throughout El Salvador. Later, he exhibited in Guatemala.

In 1948, he went to Mexico to continue his studies. There, he was strongly influenced by Diego Rivera, at the height of his fame. Gradually, Rivera's influence diminished, and Canjura turned to the art of Gauguin, from whom he learned the use of curves.

That same year, Canjura held his first exhibition in the United States.

Life in Paris, 1949-1970

Canjura's career changed dramatically in 1949 when he came to Paris on a government scholarship. He studied at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, where he learned the technique of fresco painting. He was strongly drawn to and influenced by the work of Courbet and Le Nain.
But he remained, nonetheless, attached to the subjects, colors, and customs of his native country.
In 1953, Canjura held his first solo exhibition in Paris, and France became his adopted country.
He then married Madeleine Bachelet, an artist like himself. They had a daughter, Leticia Canjura.

Returning briefly to El Salvador in 1957, he saw his country with new eyes. It was from this moment that color and light became an important part of his work.
Between 1959 and 1965, the City of Paris purchased four of his paintings for its permanent collection.
Noe Canjura was a member of the "Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts" and a member of the "Salon de la Jeune Peinture." He exhibited regularly in major Parisian salons.

He also exhibited abroad, including in the United States.

Noe Canjura died in Morienval, France, at the age of 48.

Museums

• Musée de la Ville de Paris

• Musée National d'El Salvador

• Leomanouth Museum of Hamishka in Ein Harod, Israel.

Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noe_Canjura#.