Castelao

Castelao
Castelao in Montevideo.
Born	Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao (1886-01-30)30 January 1886 Rianxo, Galicia, Spain
Died	January 7, 1950(1950-01-07) (aged 63) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupation	Politician, writer, painter, caricaturist, doctor
Language	Galician
Ethnicity	Galician
Citizenship	Spanish
Alma mater	University of Santiago de Compostela
Literary movement	Xeración Nós
Notable works	Sempre en Galiza
Relatives	Manuel Rodríguez Dios (father), Joaquina Castelao Genme (mother)
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Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao (30 January 1886 – 7 January 1950), commonly known as Castelao, was a Galician politician, writer, painter and doctor. He is one of the fathers of Galician nationalism, promoting Galician identity and culture, and was one of the main names behind the cultural movement Xeración Nós. He was also one of the founders and president of the Galicianist Party.

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao was born on 30 January 1886 in the town of Rianxo, Galicia. He was the firstborn of Manuel Rodríguez Dios, a mariner who made sails for ships, and Joaquina Castelao Genme. On the day of his birth he was baptised at the parish church of Santa Comba with his maternal aunt and uncle, Pilara and Francisco Castelao, as godparents

He spent his childhood and adolescence in Santa Rosa de Toay, Argentina. In 1900, the Rodríguez Castelao family returned to Rianxo.

In 1908 he obtained his degree in Medicine from the University of Santiago de Compostela. During his university years Rodríguez Castelao joined the tuna, with which he visited Portugal in a number of occasions. He passed his doctorate in Madrid in 1909, where he began to gain some popularity as a caricaturist and cartoon artist. In fact, Rodríguez Castelao often admitted he only studied medicine to please the wishes of his father. He rarely practiced medicine professionally despite having the credentials for it. He eventually settled down in Rianxo, where he joined the political movement Acción Gallega ("Galician Action"). As a caricaturist, Rodríguez Castelao focussed on the everyday in a humorous way, although after experiencing the Spanish Civil War, he turned to using his art to denounce the cruelties of Fascism in a collection of paintings. His paintings would also depict casual moments of Galician life and culture.