Day 7: San Miguel De Allende

Coming here has meant a lot to me. I must explain that one of the dearest persons in my life spent a year here studying art. From the time I came to California more than thirty five years ago, he was the family connection. It is where I spent many Sunday dinners. He and Phyllis met many of my old girlfriends.  My family grew with him. We, as a family, spent all our holiday's there, with Phyllis always cooking a delicious dinner. I particularly remember my daughter, Anna, when she was maybe three years old sitting on his lap. He and Phyllis were my family when I came to California in 1978.

John Lynch, after serving in Europe during World War II, decided to make art a life time pursuit. In the late thirties had a studio with Jim Kelly (the James Kelly) in downtown Philadelphia. I remember fantasizing about that life as a twelve year old.  My dad would say, "Yea, they used to draw the models, then sleep with them." It sounded good to me at the time.  Coming back from Europe he decided to get a degree in art. He graduated from Bradley University in 1948 with his degree.

The Life Magazine in 1948 published an article on how to study art in Mexico and live on practically nothing. I read that this article resulted in more than 1000 applications to Escula Bellas Artes in San Miguel.  It helped that among the photographs of studious art students was a photo of student gathered around a beautiful naked women in a serene outdoor setting. The school accepted less than 100 students from those applications and John was one of them. 

 

His great influence there was Jose Gutierrez, who used automobile enamel to paint highly glossy hard finish. He used that technique for many years. I have drawings and paintings of San Miguel all over my house. And many of the friends he made there he made for life. I have a letter from a friend in San Miguel from a friend in 1956, who tells about who is still left in the community. He mentions particularly Jack Baldwin still teaching at Belles Artes.  I was excited when I received an email from the hotel sign with the name "Baldwin". I was sure that she was related to him and his wife, Bunny.  Alas this Baldwin came from New Hampshire. Nevertheless, I was happy to meet her. 

One of the friends John made in San Miguel was Ray Rice. I remember that he told me that he and Ray painted a mural in one of the churches in San Miguel. He wasn't sure if it was still there. It is one of my missions to try and find out where it was and whether it is still there.  Ray was a great artist and eventually moved up to Mendocino, California. We visited him and his wife, Mariam, several times.  To the end, in his 80s, he was a dynamic artist and a wonderful warm human being. 

In 1949 the teachers at the school went on strike. Since most of the students were funded by the GI Bill, most left for other schools. My uncle move to Mexico City and studies at the Polytechnic Institute. I still have a clipping from a Mexican newspaper with one of his works in the background.

So I feel like it is long overdue that I come here. I know that San Miguel is not the San Miguel of my uncle's time, but I feel that I am finally exploring another piece of the story about a man whom I loved so much.