Gerardo Murillo (1875-1964)
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Gerardo Murillo (Dr. Atl) is a well-known Mexican painter, printmaker, writer, theorist and politician. Dr. Atl adopted his pseudonym in exchange for his given name, Murillo in 1902. ‘Dr. Atl’ means ‘Doctor Water’ in the Náhuatl language.
Dr. Atl began his studies in Guadalajara before going to the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City. Dr. Atl excelled at the Academy and received a grant from the President Porfirio Diaz to paint in Europe. Dr. Atl travelled to many countries, learning about avant-garde styles and concepts. Dr. Atl spent most of his time in Rome, studying law, philosophy and classics like Michelangelo.
In Europe Dr. Atl also became involved in politics, joining the Socialist Party in Italy and worked for a periodical Avanti. It was in Italy that Murillo changed his name to Dr. Atl.
Dr. Atl returned to Mexico before the start of the Mexican Revolution, seven years later. Dr. Atl joined the revolutionary movement as a muralist and led exhibitions of Diego Rivera and Francisco Ponce de Leon.
Dr. Atl went to Paris to analyze the politics of Mexico and founded a journal, writing about the social and political issues of Mexico. Dr. Atl supported constitutionalists, leaning towards a biblical socialism.
Dr. Atl did some portrait painting, but he was a prolific and innovative painter of landscapes. He used ‘atl colors’, which he made from wax crayons and pigments on wood and board instead of canvases. Dr. Atl often painted the many volcanoes surrounding Mexico City. Dr. Atl loved to be in nature and often climbed the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. Dr. Atl wrote a book “How a Volcano is Born and Grows-Paricutin”, describing the eruption of Paricutin. Unfortunately, his contact with volcanoes gave him a disease, which caused one of his legs to be amputated.
Dr. Atl’s writings “Stories of All Colors” about the Mexican Revolution and “The Pearl” are highly acclaimed pieces of literature. “The Pearl” is known to have inspired a novella by John Steinbeck.
Dr. Atl received many awards for his paintings and writings. Dr. Atl’s paintings are in museums and collections all over the world. Do you think you own a painting by Dr. Atl? Contact us. We are the experts.