Lorenzo Homar
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Lorenzo Homar (10 September 1913 - 16 February 2004), born in the "Barrio" Puerta de Tierra of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest graphic artist.
Homar inherited his love for the arts from both of his parents. His father was an arts promoter and his mother a pianist. He went to grammar school in San Juan. At a young age he moved with his family to New York. Because of the financial situation of his family, Homar quit high school and went to work for a textile factory. In 1931, he attended the Students Art League where he learned the art of drawing under the guidance of George Bridgeman.
In 1936, Homar became a designer apprentice for the jewelers House of Cartier in New York. It was during this period that he studied art in the Pratt Institute.
When the United States entered World War II, Homar joined the Army. He saw action in the Philippines where he was wounded and for which he received the Purple Heart. When he returned from the war, he enrolled in the School of the Museum of Art of Brooklyn.
Homar returned to Puerto Rico in 1950, where together with other artists, such as Julio Rosado del Valle and Rene Marques, was the co-founder of the "Centro de Arte Puertorriqueño" (Puerto Rican Arts Center). He was later named the director of the Graphics Studio of the Graphic Art Division of Puerto Rico's Department of Community Education. This is when he created most of his greatest works of art. Homar designed the logo of the "Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña " (Institute of Puerto Rican Culture) known by its initials as I.C.P.R., and he also established the Institute's Graphic Arts Workshop. During the decade of the 1960s Homar became involved with the techniques of scenic graphics. In 1975, he established his own printing studio, and among his many works are the posters he designed in 1979, for the VIII Pan American Games.
The admiration that Homar felt for the masters of the graphic arts led him to distinguish himself as a designer of multiple works of art. His posters, drawings and graphics elevated Puerto Rican graphic arts to a new level of world admiration.
Among the honors and recognitions that Homar received were the exhibition of his works in the Ponce Museum of Art in 1979. The Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased some of his works. The University of Puerto Rico proclaimed him a Doctorate "Honoris Causa" and the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture presented him with the National Medal of Honor in 2003.
Lorenzo Homar died in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the sea. He was survived by his wife Dorothy, two daughters, Susan and Laura, and four grandchildren.
