The Argentine artist who was a friend of Picasso and Juan Gris

Born in La Plata on October 1, 1892, he is credited with playing a central role in the renewal of the country's artistic language a century ago. His work is kept in Santa Fe.

There is a 2019 article from Señal Santa Fe, a program of the Secretariat of Cultural Development of the Provincial Ministry of Culture, dedicated to Emilio Pettoruti. It alludes to an interview with the master when he was 76 years old.

He was asked how to distinguish one period of his work from another. He replied that it was enough to look. That all painting could be more or less objective, but in the end what matters is the quality. And that quality, like poetry or inspiration, cannot be explained.
An iconic artist of modernity in the national visual arts, he was one of those who brought, in the mid-1920s, a refreshing perspective. One that permeated his own work and influenced that of others.

Internalizing the Avant-Garde
Pettoruti was born in La Plata on October 1, 1892, 133 years ago. He encountered painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown, with Atilio Boveri. He later turned to caricatures.
In the 1910s, he traveled to Europe and became involved with the avant-garde schools, whose principles he brought back with him. The connection was so strong that he became friends with Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, both figures of Cubism.

"He is credited with having originated the term 'abstract art,' which has since been commonly used to describe much of modern art," stated the United Press International agency in 1971, on the occasion of the painter's death.
From an Everyday Object to a Dream
El Litoral published this UPI article on October 18 of that same year under the title "Critical Judgments of Pettoruti's Work." There, George Pillement, author of several art books, was consulted regarding the Argentine artist.

"I would place him on a par with Juan Gris and Georges Braque, as one of the most refined artists of our century," he expressed. Quite a definition, given the stature of the two artists mentioned.
In the same article, critic Raymond Cogniat of Le Figaro stated that "Pettoruti represents the starting point of Latin American art, leaving behind its classical tradition. He arrived at Cubism after others, but demonstrated a very refined taste. I think he was greatly underestimated."

"He magnificently demonstrates how, starting from a pear, a bottle, or a glass, he can overcome the appearance of visual problems to arrive at a dream," Jean Bouret of the Paris-Journal noted at the same time.
"With his admirable technique and mastery of oil paints, Pettoruti knows how to instill emotion in an object, and he will go even further to negate that object for the use of his own special expression."

A Flash in the City
In Santa Fe, Emilio Pettoruti's genius is represented in the collection of the Rosa Galisteo Museum. This space houses "Photograph of Maria Rosa," an oil on canvas from 1937, a prize-winning acquisition at the 18th Annual Salon.
The painter died in October 1971, in Paris. After the death of his wife, he became engrossed in his studio in the Latin Quarter. At the end of his life, according to the chronicles, he became introverted. Only a handful of close friends and his sister were allowed to see him.

Half a century later, every time one returns to Pettoruti's work, to its various stages, one thing is confirmed: for him, painting was a way of daydreaming.

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