Hermenegildo Bustos: Self-Taught Painter of the People

Upbringing and Personal Life

José Hermenegildo de la Luz Bustos Hernández was born in the town of Purísima del Rincón in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1832. He remained in his hometown most of his life. There are rumors that he trained with a painter called Herrera, however, there is not enough information to verify this fact. In any case, he identified himself as an aficionado (amateur) artist. Apart from this, he often highlighted the indigenous part of his heritage. Bustos grew up in a deeply religious family, which influenced him throughout his career. He married when he was 22 years old to Joaquina Rios, but the couple never had kids. Although he enjoyed recognition for his paintings, at the end of the 1870s he had other trades. He worked as a sacristan, carpenter, and mason, among others.

Hermenegildo Bustos as a Portraitist

Bustos’ most acclaimed genre was the portrait. Even though he had no formal education, his depictions are outstanding. Most probably, that lack of academic training allowed him to capture a more honest and less idealized image of the sitters. Here are some examples of his work.

Arguably his most important sitter was President Benito Juárez, who visited Bustos’ hometown in 1858. Unfortunately, the sketch was destroyed after the death of the painter.

Painter of Ex-votos

An important part of his career was the production of ex-votos. These were paintings of small format which illustrated an unfortunate event where a holy figure intervened. They were made to show gratitude to said figure and they were accompanied by the description of the event. Anyone could make them, but some people asked professional artists for better results, among them Hermenegildo Bustos. His compositions were simple but effective. His backgrounds were solid to emphasize the donor who appeared in a prayer as the divine figure floated over a white cloud.

The ex-voto below comes from a woman named Cipriana Serrano whose ox had been agonizing for four days until the Holy Virgin saved it.

Bustos’ Still Lifes

Another genre in which Bustos experimented was the still life. These were somewhat different from the usual works we see in the European art. Instead of being arranged in bowls or on complex table settings, they appeared displayed over a white surface, separate from each other. It showcases the food of the region, as well as the fauna such as scorpions and frogs.

Bustos at the Church’s Service

Hermenegildo Bustos was a man of faith and he showed it through his service to the church of his hometown. He made the altar below that depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ.

Painter of the Skies

One of his many interests was astronomy. He did not have any formal education on the matter, but just like painting, he learned by himself. Various paintings reflect his studies of the sky, such as the one below where he recorded an eclipse. He wrote down the exact date, September 16th, 1883 around three and a half in the morning. He described the event as a red dawn that disappeared before the sun came up and then it came up during the whole day.

Legacy of Hemenegildo Bustos

Hermenegildo Bustos died in 1907, one year after his wife. He used his skills as a carpenter to make both coffins. His fame may have stayed local for a few decades, but after the Revolution in the 1910s and 1920s, his work became highly prized. He left hundreds of works that now belong to the most reputed museums in Mexico. Due to his contribution to Mexican art, his hometown’s name changed to Purísima de Bustos.