Ignacio Barrios

Ignacio Barrios (March 10, 1930 – January 22, 2013) was a Mexican painter mostly known for his absolute commitment to watercolour painting. He earned the reputation of one of the top watercolour painters in his country of origin and possibly the most distinctive of them all. Even though the themes he depicts in his work are diverse, landscapes are perhaps his most celebrated works.

Biography

Barrios was born in the municipality of Mineral de Zacualpan, State of Mexico, Mexico, on March 10, 1930. He is the youngest of the five children of Eustolio Barrios Hernández - a local miner and farmer - and Isabel Prudencio Flores. Since his early childhood, Barrios was deeply fascinated with nature, which perhaps came to him from his father, who used to watch over the nearby forests and protect them against illegal logging every morning. And by doing so, he was also passing on to his son a true love and respect for the place where they lived. For several years, the Barrios made their living out of selling flowers and fruits which they collected around their plot. Barrios would then reflect all these memories through his paintings of still life and multicoloured flowers.