Robert de la Rocha
| Robert de la Rocha | |
|---|---|
De la Rocha at the Los Four exhibition installation at LACMA, 1974
|
|
| Born |
Robert Isaac de la Rocha November 26, 1937 Wilmar, California |
| Alma mater | California State University, Long Beach |
| Occupation | Painter, graphic artist, muralist |
| Spouse(s) | Olivia Carter (m. 1961; div. 1976) |
| Children | Zack de la Rocha |
Robert Isaac "Beto" de la Rocha (born November 26, 1937) is an American painter, graphic artist, and muralist. He was part of the Chicano art collective Los Four for a few years. De la Rocha was also influential in reestablishing the traditional Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead in Los Angeles.
Robert Isaac de la Rocha was born on November 26, 1937 in Wilmar, California to Mexican American parents, Isaac de la Rocha Beltrán (September 29, 1910 in Cananea, Mexico - October 10, 1985 in Los Angeles, California) and Cecilia Torres Cañedo (May 25, 1914 in Mexico - December 28, 1994 in Los Angeles, California), of Sephardi Jewish converso origin. He earned his Master's of Fine Arts at California State University, Long Beach.
In 1973, he joined the influential Chicano art collective Los Four. The group, composed of Carlos Almaraz, Frank E. Romero, Gilbert "Magu" Luján, and de la Rocha, was responsible for numerous murals and public art installations in the Los Angeles area. According to Luján, he and de la Rocha emphasized "indigenous and local" aspects of Chicano art, while the other two members were more interested in the European tradition. The group was also one of the first to draw mainstream attention to Chicano art, exhibiting at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1974. According to Judithe Hernández, the first female member of Los Four, de la Rocha was also a "brilliant printmaker", much whose imagery was drawn from "his [very fragile] mental state".
...
Wikipedia