MEETING OF THE ENRIQUE OCHOA FOUNDATION AND THE MADRID ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN DIRECTORS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE (AMMDE)
- The Enrique Ochoa Foundation met on 30 November last with the Madrid Association of Women Directors and Business people (AMMDE)
During the meeting José Estévez, President of the Enrique Ochoa Foundation, was able to make a presentation to this group entitled “The Ochoa Woman: Modernism and Modernity”, one of the artistic sides of the painter that reflected in a superlative and genuine manner the world of women, where these ladies were muses, together with the cosmopolitan and aristocratic environment that surrounded them during the first quarter of the 20th Century. It should be noted that Ochoa’s restlessness, his rhythm of life and his never-ending curiosity led him to meet and to paint Gala Federova, who became a prima ballerina of the Russian Ballet in Paris, along with Tórtola Valencia, Spanish ballerina - and a real diva - who performed in all the major theatres of the City of Light.
As a chronicler of the illustrated reviews of the time, in particular of “Blanco y Negro”, he eventually became one of the leading illustrators, designing various cover pages, moulding during his numerous journeys to Paris a special kind of modern woman, who both inspired him and on whom he focussed a seducer’s gaze. This led Ochoa eventually to become a portrayer of the latest fashion trends. This exhibition brings together some of the most important works of the time, such as “Chic Lady”, “Cosmopolitan Lady” or “Oriental Caprice”.
From his earliest beginnings, Ochoa stood out as one of the outstanding portrait painters of the first quarter of the 20th Century, distinguished by his masterful drawing technique as an illustrator of books (amongst which we should not forget to mention the Complete Works of Rubén Darío) or of the major reviews of the period, such as “Esfera”, “Blanco y Negro” or “Mundo Latino”.
