Icaza, Ernesto | Colección

19th-20th Century Mexican

Born in 1866 in Mexico City, Ernesto Icaza is the most eminent exponent of the painting of charrerías, a kind of genre painting coveted among followers of this competitive and social sporting event that includes purebred horses, costly chamois suits with silver buttons, and access to exclusive charro paintings.

From a very early age, his family’s social position meant that he was well acquainted with the big landowners of the time. He spent long periods in the countryside, witnessing and practising charro activities. With a significant clientele as a result of his connections with the most prominent families of the time, Icaza’s works depict the various ways of herding bulls performed by accomplished horse riders in haciendas near Mexico City.

The detailed depiction of the architectural features of the haciendas, typical costumes and Mexican traditions are the salient elements in the works of this charro painter. His oils on canvas and cardboard are an invaluable example of the charrería genre, which, throughout the twentieth century, was ingrained in the popular imagination as typical of rural Mexico.