Isidoro Ocampo
Mexican, 1910 - 1983Alfarero (Pottery Maker) from Mexican People portfolio, ca. 1945
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions17 5/8 × 15 1/8 in. (44.8 × 38.4 cm)
Image: 13 3/4 × 11 1/4 in. (34.9 × 28.6 cm)
Gift of Mr. Jack B. Pierson, 1987.31.10
Born June 20, 1910 in Veracruz, O’Campo’s father and mother were lighthouse keepers. As a result, his first five years were spent in lighthouses on the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. The family moved to Mexico City in 1915. His father insisted that he study for a career in commerce, but at age 18, O’campo decided to study art instead. In 1928, he attended night classes in drawing and painting at the San Carlos Academy, and by 1930, he was appointed as an assistant in the Engraving Workshop of the Teachers of Woodcuts and Etchings. During this time, he made over 200 engravings before leaving the Academy. He then worked as a book illustrator for a time, and then in 1936, he joined the Ministry of Public Education as a professor of plastic arts.
