Customer Reviews

F. Luis Mora: America's First Hispanic Master [1874-1940]

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As someone who reads a lot of art books for research as a museum docent, this book is a pleasure.

I got information about f. Luis Mora as a person and as an artist. I often find that the art world takes itself too seriously, the artist, the curator and the critic all talking to one another - above the heads of average people who simply want to enjoy art.

This is a book for people who love art for arts' sake, not as an elitist badge.

Wonderful to learn about an American Artist I'd never heard of before.

It's clear that Lynne Pauls Baron did an exhaustive study that chronicles the life and works of the little-known artist, F. Luis Mora. Her brilliant writing in the language of art and art history makes this read all the more fascinating. The book itself is breathtakingly beautiful and splendidly designed. I felt as though I were walking through a museum filled with Mora's work.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves beauty. You will come away with an appreciation of F. Luis Mora, an artist that deserved a lot more recognition than he deserved. Kudos to Lynne Pauls Baron! I wouldn't hesitate to read anything bearing her name.

A well written and book that has been exceptionally well published. Most books of this category are hard to read and are not entertaining. This book flows nicely, has all the information about Mora that you would want, and examines his works and his life in a manner that is easy to follow. I generally only stick to fiction, and definitely not biographies, but as a art collector I could not put the book down. An enjoyable and informative read.

I concur with Barry Laurence Scherer's Antiques Magazine July, 2008 review of this exceptionally poor book. He is more gracious than I shall be, but perhaps his copy came "with complements' from the author. This is an expensive and colorful tome yet lacking a shred of art history scholarship. Though Ms Barron arrogantly claims to be THE expert on Mora, she has merely managed to corner the franchise. This tactic defines NOT the connoisseur, but merely a wheeler-dealer. This book is a poorly written, self-distributed melange which records mostly her personal collection and is spotted with obviously incorrect factual attributions. Perhaps this is why she has to self-distribute this stuff. Somehow, Ms Barron has managed to cause the Mora descendants to allow her to identify herself as the author of his catalog raissone They should have waited for someone who would have served his oeuvre with some scholarship, not some dollars.

A beautiful, lavishly illustrated book featuring the life and works of a forgotten American master, who until recently had fallen into obscurity. This fascinating story chronicles the rise and fall of the award-winning artist, F. Luis Mora, against the background of the economic events and upheavals of his time. The author's economic discussion provides a significant new perspective on the importance of economic cycles to the financial success of artistic endeavors.

Based on an impressive amount of original research, Luis' story includes mystery, romance and unfortunately tragedy, as well as an examination of his art. Previously untapped source material, such as the artist's detailed diaries (located in the Archives of American Art) provide fascinating contemporary commentary in Luis' own voice.

I highly recommend this book, not only to anyone interested in art or art collecting, but also to anyone who enjoys entertaining, well-written biographies.

According to Barry Laurence Scherer's review in Antiques Magazine July, 2008, "Lynne Pauls Baron's monograph makes a persuasive case for Mora's reappraisal, for while his oeuvre is uneven, his best work represents a distinctive vision of its time." He concludes, "... thanks to Baron's monograph, we can now take a second look at Mora's legacy, and draw our own conclusions."

This is an Amazing book for the Art lover, Art historian, and general historian there is even a little bit of accurate economics for the current times we live in.

Lynn Pauls Baron has captured the life and times of one of the greatest Art Masters of the 20th Century and brings to life in a clear and concise manner the life and career of F.Luis Mora from Start to Finish, blending the economics of the day with the struggles of life and love.

You can't help but to get emotionally involved with the life of the artist and in the end relate as well as connect to F. Luis Mora that brings his art to life and a personal understanding that one could never get just looking and admiring the work of one of the Greatest Masters of the 20th century. This book should be standard reading for anyone wanting to understand the life of an Artist while developing an appreciation for Art in the 20th century.

Ms. Baron has written a very engaging account of relatively uncelebrated, but gigantically talented artist. Mora's paintings are spellbinding and the prints included in the book are well-chosen.

I thank the author, Lynne Pauls Baron, for bringing F. Luis Mora to my attention. I had not been aware of him, but the many images throughout show that he was a highly skilled painter. The book is thoroughly researched and Baron explains why Mora's legacy did not survive his death. It was eye-opening to learn that this wonderful artist never recovered from his first wife's death. It is true that many artists' legacies die from their own personal disasters, and Baron did a wonderful job telling the story.

Ten years ago I was in a little antique store in Venice, Florida and found a small oil portrait of a fierce looking man. It was a painting in that style of impressionism (as I define it, probably inartfully) that close up appears to be a quickly performed attack of brush strokes on the canvas, but as you pull away it gains form and focus until you swear you see three dimensions if not movement.

The artist was F. Luis Mora, and the portrait was of his father, Domingo, also an artist of some reknown (as was Mora's brother, Jo). The small oil came with a pamphlet indicating that there had been a show of his work in New York decades ago, some years after his death. But I could learn little more about the artist or the man. One could find pictures of some of his masterworks. The rich, colorful portraits of actors, flappers and Spanish majas, and the rarer, more understated landscapes are my favorites. It was also apparent through his illustration work during World War I that he was a patriotic American. Many portraits of his first wife and daughter indicated at least a period of wedded bliss in the wilds of Connecticut. Over time, I was able to acquire additional pieces of Mora's work, but little more than pieces of his life.

Lynne Baron has put the pieces together in what has to be the fullest biography of Mora and collection of his work (there's a fancy term for that) available. Akin to Robert Hughes' masterful "Goya," Baron's "F. Louis Mora" is rich in factual detail and generous with illustrations of Mora's work and their context. Baron discovers an artist whose humanity is beautifully and painfully apparent in both the ups and downs of his life as well as the great variety of his work. Yes, there are Mora works that take your breath away, and others that fall flat. But the sheer breadth of his interests and protean output may excuse the range of quality. In Baron's book, it is all there for you to see.

And then some. Works by Mora continue to come out of the woodwork, to be found in all sorts of places, from small antique stores to eBay to some of the nicest galleries in the country. Perhaps, in addition to America's first hispanic master, he is also a master for the common man. Or at least the amateur art collector like me who just happened upon the most remarkable little oil painting of a fierce looking man...

This is truly a remarkable book. Lynne Pauls Baron has created not just the definitive history of F. Luis Mora , but brings to life the extraordinary journey of this American Hispanic Master. You'll read about his award winning success, and his unfortunate slide into relative obscurity. Baron has done exhaustive research, using not only her skill as a story teller and historian, but by utilizing Mora's own diary, correspondence with his daughter, and countless contemporary sources she has crafted an exceptional scholarly work. I must also point out the rare quality of the book itself. There are over 350 illustrations, with almost half in stunning color. I doubt you could find a higher quality work; and at 343 pages it's a bargain. I would highly recommend this book to art collectors, historians, students, or anyone who enjoys a fascinating and compelling biography.