Federico Tormo Monzó. Ink drawing. 17x24 cm. Valencia C. F. Igoa y Seguí. Hand signed. 1940s. Good condition.
Federico Tormo Monzó. Ink drawing. 17 x 24 cm. Valencia C. F. Igoa y Seguí. Hand signed. 1940s. Good condition. Excellent Valencian draftsman and caricaturist. Federico Tormo Monzó was born in Pinoso on April 15, 1890, and died in Valencia on September 12, 1971. He moved from his hometown to Valencia at the age of 17, where he settled, with Ricardo Verde as his teacher. Although he had already won first prize for his posters advertising the July Fair in 1927, and had also won other awards in Granada, his first steps in the city of the Turia River were as a cartoonist in the sports section of the newspaper "Las Provincias" between 1931 and 1935, with series dedicated to caricatures of renowned soccer players and boxers, directors of Valencian clubs, journalists, and participants in other popular sports, such as greyhound racing. He was noted for his skill with a pencil when taking notes on sporting events, which were published periodically. He sometimes signed his drawings with the pseudonym "Motor," which appears in some of his cartoons. However, he did not only cultivate sports themes; he also stood out for his drawings related to bullfighting, caricaturing bullfighters of the stature of Marcial Lalanda, Félix Rodríguez, Vicente Barrera, and Domingo Ortega. Valencian cultural figures, such as musicians and writers, were also portrayed by Tormo Monzó with his distinctive style. After the Civil War, the artist continued drawing, but alternated between caricature and painting, capturing the landscapes of the cities he visited, such as Granada, Bilbao, and Zaragoza, as well as Valencia. Of particular note are the countless solo exhibitions he held throughout his life, both in the city of Turia and other parts of the country. He has several paintings distributed abroad, one of which is in Winston Churchill's private collection. The painter's style is followed by his only student, José Agustí García, who knew his Artwork and shared his studio for more than 25 years.
