JOAQUIN CLAUSELL 1866-1935 OIL PAINTING OF SHORE. Image size 14in by 10in. With frame size 16.5in by 12.5in. Joaquin Clausell, 1866 - 1935 born and raised in the city of Campeche, where he began drawing as a young student. However, the age of 16, he had to flee to Mexico’s capital after confronting then-governor of Campeche JoaquÃn Baranda in public. In the capital, he made his way to law school, despite poverty, but continued his opposition to the political status quo, landing him in jail, interrupting his studies. After he finished his classes he began to work as a journalist in opposition newspapers when in 1893 a series of fictionalized accounts of army campaigns against the Tarahumara people landed him back in jail. Escaping his captors and with help, he fled to the US and Paris. In the latter city, he discovered Impressionism which he admired but did not begin to produce his own paintings until well after he returned to Mexico. While he was not integrated with Mexico’s art scene during his lifetime, his work was noticed and appreciated by artists such as Diego Rivera and Dr. Atl. Since 1995, when a tribute to his work took place at the Mexico’s National Art Museum he has been written about and gained more recognition. While in Paris, Clausell was introduced to the Impressionism art movement and he was particularly impressed with the work of Camille Pissarro. Clausell struck up a friendship with the older artist, visiting him several times in his Paris studio. Clausell moved into his wife Angela Cervantes family residence, she latter inhered, which today is the Museum of the City of Mexico. He build his studio at its roof. Clausell used the studio as a refuge from his wife and her family, and to entertain friends such as Dr. Atl, Juan O'Gorman, Diego Rivera, Carlos Pellicer, Salvador Novo, Julio Ruelas where they discussed modern ideas. In 1908, Atl created a pastel portrait of Clausell. Since his death in 1935, Clausell has been recognized as the most prominent Mexican Impressionist artist, even though he did not introduce the style into the country. He existed on the fringes of the Mexican art scene during his lifetime, but his work was noticed and praised by a number of well-known contemporaries. In an exhibition in 1921, his work caught the attention of Diego Rivera, who had just come back from Europe and later visited Clausell in his studio. This was despite the disdain of Rivera generation for “academic” and European painting. Rivera proclaimed Clausell to be the best of Mexico’s landscape artists as well as a “painter-poet”, who expressed the natural beauty of the country. His work was also supported and promoted by Dr. Atl. Clausell's work was only occasionally exhibited during his lifetime, and then collectively. One of his works was purchased from one of these exhibitions by the SecretarÃa de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes for the gallery of the Academy of San Carlos.