Considered by Francisco Oller as his most talented apprentice, Manuel E. Jordán (1853-1919)offers us a unique take on the landscape genre through a vast collection of works that radiate a deep love and appreciation towards the nature of his native Puerto Rico. Throughout his oeuvre,the presence of human life and activity is superseded by the imposing beauty of the Island’s flora and its open skies, limiting his depictions of humanity to only a few paintings in which the human form is barely perceivable in the distance; a mere silhouette lost in the midst of the natural surroundings. Even in the works where Jordán has decided to incorporate architectural elements within the composition, the human form is hardly noticeable; the near-empty structures giving the artist a perfect pretext to formulate a striking and suspenseful visual syntax that transcends what could have been a rather simple depiction of “just” a house or “just” a landscape. His masterful use of color and light allowed Jordán to accurately depict the texture of wood; of houses and structures, of the vegetation, the soil, the blues of the sky as well as the texture of the clouds nestled in its vast expanse. His dominance over the use of light is further evidenced in his sharp use of daylight as it changes through the hours, providing the image in some of his representations with a certain air of mysticism, or transporting the viewer to the landscape he has chosen to present.
Desde la Muralla (1890) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
A scenic view of the San Juan Harbor as seen from one of the walls built around the centenary city. In this representation, we can observe the flow of vessels transiting in and out of San Juan’s Bay, the overall beauty of the location and catch a peak of the mountains on the horizon.
Palo Seco (1890) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
In this scenic painting of the settlement known as “Palo Seco”, the artist places a keen interest in accurately capturing the light and vibrant colors that can only be found in the tropics.
Escena del Río (19th century) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
This work depicts a distinctive tropical landscape where palm trees abound. In the forefront, we can see the figures of a child and a woman bathing in the river, as a sailboat drifts in the distance. The workmanship employed in the creation of the clouds and the subtle, yet delicate, way they have been painted is a testimony of the skilled hand of the artist.
Casa de dos aguas by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
This painting shows an example of an architectural style that was popular in Puerto Rico at the end of the 19th century. The masterful use of light to highlight the trail that runs in front of the house draws the viewer in.
Paseo de Palmeras by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
This painting serves as a historical record of the landscape of the time, including in the depiction a humble caminero’s house. This small and unassuming brick and stone structure belonged to the workers in charge of the construction of the roads that interconnected the most distant municipalities of the Island with each other during the second half of the 19th century.
Estudio de Cataño by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
In this work, Jordán has produced an extraordinary natural study using a street on what is now the northern municipality of Cataño as the subject of the painting. Palm trees and other luscious vegetation, along with straw houses and peasant figures, pepper the landscape.
Bohío (1890) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Jordán acts as a chronicler of his surroundings, revealing key information on an architectural type that was common in Puerto Rico in the 19th century: the bohío or hut style house with a roofing made out of straw and a dirt floor.
Cangrejos by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
This painting adheres to a style that has been denominated as criollismo: a stylistic current found mostly on literature that addresses themes and subject matter pertaining to peasantry. The house depicted in this work; the open door and windows, along with the complete absence of human activity evokes an atmosphere of tranquility.
Ingeniero Azucarero by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Rural landscape that showcases the development of the sugar industry in Puerto Rico at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Several structures can be seen in the painting, with the chimney of the sugar mill standing out among them.
Camino vecinal a caballo (20th century) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The artist captures a rural scene that was a recurring theme in the landscape painting of the time.
Río, casas y bosque (20th century) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Through the composition of this landscape, the artist highlights the rhythm and contrast that exists between the vertical order of the trees and the horizontality of the structure.
Apunte de un Bosque (20th century) by Manuel E. JordánInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
Manuel Jordán takes advantage of the negative and positive space that’s produced between the trees to create a landscape full of rhythm and contrast.
