José Francisco Xavier De Salazar Y Mendoza

Place: Mérida

Born: 1750

Death: 1802

Biography:

José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza was a Mexican artist born in Mérida, Mexico in 1750. He attended the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City. In 1782, he moved to New Orleans with his wife, Maria Antonia Magaña and their two children. He is considered the foremost painter in Spanish Colonial Louisiana and painted the portraits of many prominent citizens of colonial Louisiana, including members of the church, government and the military. His paintings are in the late Baroque style that was favored in Spanish colonies and show the influence of Mexican provincial styles. He died in New Orleans in 1802.