Preliminary sketch for mural “Fountain of Fouth” by Francis Luis Mora (1874-1940), pastel on paper, 14 3/4″ x 9″, signed lower left.
Fountain of Youth by Francis Luis Mora stands as a unique representation of Mora’s artistic prowess, as we have no finished product to compare this preliminary sketch to. Though the location of the mural is unknown, along with its state of completion, Mora’s initial rendition effectively conveys an eccentric cast of characters, backed by bright flora and rounded clouds. The highly stylized piece showcases one of Mora’s foremost artistic talents– imbuing emotions through a dynamic composition.
Medium: Pastel on paper
In his published notes, Francis Luis Mora wrote that “Art is the whispering of the great voice of nature, that quietly, peacefully, steadily, lifts men to higher thoughts, nobler deeds, and loftier aspirations.”
Mora was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Spanish sculptor Domingo Mora and moved with his family to the United States when he was six years old. He grew up surrounded by and encouraged to pursue art, as his father enrolled him in art classes throughout his childhood. At 15, Mora was admitted to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where he studied under American Impressionists Edmund Charles Tarbell and Frank Weston Benson.
Mora boasted a diverse portfolio, including figural studies (see Bather), landscapes, and domestic scenes. His genre-bending style pushed the limits of American Impressionism, utilizing bright colors and coarse brushstrokes while folding in the stark shadows and drama of Western Mannerism and the Spanish Baroque. In 1896, while in Europe, the works of Francisco Goya and El Greco especially inspired Mora’s own artistic ethos. Many of his paintings featured American subjects and, in 1930, he painted a portrait of President Warren G. Harding, which hangs in the White House to this day.
Mora’s career was additionally highlighted by his participation in the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project, a post-Depression New Deal initiative that commissioned American artists to create works that celebrated American industrialization. Later in his career, he would become an esteemed muralist commissioned to create pieces for high-profile buildings such as the Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC and the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
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