By Natalie Taylor
James (Haim) Pinto was born in Bijeljina, Yugoslavia in 1907, and grew up in Tuzla where he was encouraged by his professors to pursue art. He became friends with, and studied alongside painter Ismet Mujezinovic, a renowned Bosnian artist. After studying art in Zagreb, Pinto left to join his sister in Hollywood, California in 1939, where he began to work at Disney Studios. He studied briefly at Chouinard in Los Angeles before heading to Mexico with his wife Ruska to study painting with Jean Charlot.
Mexico in the 1920s and 30s had become the “Paris of the Americas,” and many excellent European artists were coming here. In the 1940s, Pinto and his wife moved to San Miguel de Allende and he began studying at the School of Fine Arts, which was at the time housed in the ex-convent of Las Monjas—today’s Bellas Artes. He studied muralism with David Alfaro Siqueiros, when the renowned muralist was painting his major San Miguel mural in the former nun’s dining hall.
At that time, the man in charge was a lawyer named Campanella, whose main concern was money, not support for the arts, and the artists. A major dispute erupted between Campanella and Siqueiros, purportedly over the former’s reluctance to provide the artist with needed supplies to complete the mural. According to tales of those who may have been present, the two men came to blows—not so unlikely, given that Siqueiros was known for his explosive temper. It is said that one of them pushed the other down one of the stairways at the convent. The result of the dispute was that Siqueiros and his disciples walked out of the school, locking the room where they had been working on the full-room mural. The room remained locked for almost ten years, and when finally unbolted, open cans of paint, drop cloths, and dried out brushes were found strewn around the room. The mural had been abandoned incomplete, and it can still be seen in that state today. They say that Siqueiros intended to return and finish it, but never had a chance to do so.
Following the walk-out of the artists, there was more turmoil in the early 1950s, which led to the deportation of several students from Mexico to the US. James Pinto was one of them. Through the intercession of a Mexican general, and a few influential Americans, the students were able to return to San Miguel. After their return, Pinto joined Stirling Dickson, Nell Harris and Enrique Fernandez, and they moved the school to the Instituto Allende. Pinto continued to teach, as well as paint, do murals, and sculptures. Other than works in private collections, the majority of his paintings are owned by the University of Guanajuato with some great oils, acrylics, and drawings. James Pinto died in San Miguel in 1987.
Pinto’s life spanned through most of the 20th century—he was born seven years after its start, and died thirteen years before it ended. His artistic training was followed by personal experience, influenced by his many years in Mexico. He used line and color in a unique way, and moved from one style to another, showing elements of cubism, abstract expressionism, and abstract art. His brilliantly colored landscapes are intriguing because they have a certain immobility—the body of water in the foreground is just as still as the solid mountains behind it. His paintings of people also capture stillness, as in one where a group of individuals stand as if frozen, although their faces show vivid expressions. One woman among them looks directly at the viewer, her bearing, her sunken shoulders, and particularly the dark-rimmed, sunken eyes speak of a deep sadness.
Pinto’s mural on the walls of Instituto Allende differs from most of his other works. The composition is careful and refined, and the mural is well adapted to the building on which it has been painted, moving seamlessly from the central wall to the perimeters. The theme is definitely Mexican, and very likely a representation of a San Miguel de Allende experience. It is a scene of conchero (shells) dancers that we can still see on our streets during festivals. Unlike Pinto’s landscapes, the painting is full of motion, with the dancers practically jumping out of the walls. Hovering behind, a demon-like figure seems to have invaded and joined the dance. It does not seem to cause concern or fear among the dancers—like a foolish, prankster uncle crying “boo” at a family gathering.
Natalie Taylor: BA in English Lit and Journalism, Loyola University, Chicago, 1995. MFA in Creative Writing, Vermont College, Montpelier, VT, 1999. Published writer, editor, journalist. Spanish teacher in the US, English teacher in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Translator. www.natalietaylor.org Contact: tangonata@gmail.com
