exhibition of his work for the 100th anniversary of his birth. Artistry Cantú created watercolors, oils, drawings, inks, prints, monotypes, sculptures and murals. He was admired for the quality of his drawings, which incorporated the people and landscapes of Mexico into his historical and religious works. In Europe, he was exposed to the avant garde movements of the time and in Mexico, the dominant form of Mexican muralism. However, Cantú's style was classical and academic, often combining classic myth with modern symbolism. This was true even of his mural work, and he was the only major painter at the time doing religious themes. This put him at the margins of his Mexican muralist contemporaries. He expressed his dissatisfaction with this situation: "Is it fair to discount me as a Mexican, just because my paints do not drip mole or sweat pulque?" However, he has come to be known as "El gran olvidado" (the great forgotten one). He was an avid reader, with literature being a major influence on his work. He was especially fond of 15th-century French poet François Villon, but also read much of the work of Alfonso Reyes, Renato Leduc, Efraín Huerta, Jean Nicolas, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Valéry, Lord Byron, Goethe, André Malraux, Antonin Artaud, and Paul Éluard. References External links NL Nuestro Arte & Grecia en la obra de Federico Cantú -American catalogue by Adolfo Cantú Coleccion de Arte Cantú Y de Teresa IMSS en la obra de Federico Cantú Federico Cantú Garza, Deutsche Fotothek http://www.museoblaisten.com Mexican engravers Mexican muralists Artists from Nuevo León People from Cadereyta, Nuevo León 1907 births 1989 deaths 20th-century engravers Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda" faculty 20th-century Mexican sculptors 20th-century Mexican painters Mexican male painters 20th-century Mexican male artists