Time and time again, you step onto the internet and find misinformation. It is as simple as Garbage In - Garbage Out: Auction houses misidentify artworks for their financial benefit, database companies track the auction house records, sell that information through monthly or yearly subscriptions such as: Invaluable and Mutual Art, which sells the misinformation to you.
One artist that these institutions continuously get wrong is the work by Jesus Ceballos. They frequently say his work belongs to Rufino Ceballos. Understandable, they are lazy and fail to do their research and due diligence, and of course Rufino is a noted artist while Jesus' art career has been overlooked by art historians and auction houses.
Rufino signed some of his paintings as Cebal, a shorter version of his last name. At other times he used his full last name, especially for his landscapes that were not necessarily sold through the gallery that represented him. Rufino was born in Spain in 1907, lived a fascinating life, and worked in Paris for a good portion of his career. During his mid-career to death he was represented by Galleria Roussard in Paris, giving him financial stability. He painted cute children, Paris landscape scenes that represent the reconstruction of a war torn city. Additionally, he spend some time in north Africa where he captured architectural scenes of that area. Rufino died in 1970, and is considered an art icon in Spain. He was honored with a retrospective in 1997, complete with a catalogue and details about his life. His works are included in two museum collections, one in Madrid and the other in Barcelona.
Jesus on the other hand, was born in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico in about 1922. Perhaps his heritage could be described as Mayan. He came to United States in 1950, and started his art studies in Boston at the Butera School of Art. Butera started in 1910 recruiting international students from around the world with a training program focusing on the ability to earn a living while making art a career. During his early years in Mexico and with his Boston education he developed his own impressionistic style including exceptional still-lifes of flowers, landscapes and harbor scenes.
On his canvases he used a small paint spatula to build up areas with color and texture, layering the paint as a thin cake frosting. He mixed colors right on the canvas in a plein-air fashion, aware of light, color and shadow. His brushwork was rapid, broken with dabs that turned into rendered impressionism, creating energy and vitality. His skilled compositions combined rhythm and brushwork which adds to the confusion between the two artists, Jesus' work takes on the feeling of a noteworthy French master. Likewise, it was not uncommon for Jesus to paint Spanish themed paintings, another confusing point.
He captured noted Massachusetts coastal and harbor scenes during his early years and then annually during their summer getaways from Florida. These rich and complex paintings hold similarities with other New England artists: Emile Gruppe, Harry Aiken Vincent, and Gordon Grant. In the painting below, it appears to be either a Rockport or Provincetown scene from the 1950s. The harbor scene composition has frenetic intensity with lines moving in all different directions, the workmen on the dock, are just small dabs of paint, and the color palette creates a boogie-woogie feel with pink, green, and golden yellow with a blue sky and boat.
 |
| Jesus Ceballos "Fish Trawler in Harbor" Circa 1950s, Signature Lower Right: Ceballos Oil on Canvas, 12" X 16" Framed: 17.5" X 21.5" |
 |
| Oil on Canvas - 11.5" X 24" A Gloucester Harbor Scene Listed as "Boats in Port" sold on Mar. 16, 2012  This is another Gloucester Harbor scene from another time period. Photo Provided by Michele Wise, Ceballos' Daughter Documented in the Ceballos brochure below |
In 1960 Jesus moved to Hollywood, FL. During his forty plus years in Florida he received numerous awards both locally and abroad. He participated in numerous art shows up and down the east coast including the Washington Square Art Show in New York City. During his time in Florida he gained a following of his work and exhibited frequently in the Fort Lauderdale area. Some collectors included: Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Jack Warden.
Jesus lived until he was eighty, dying in September, 2002. Below is an example of his painted signature that also shows his signature style and a business card. Additionally, at times he marked the back of the canvases with copyright protections. He was also known for his drawings, lithographs and teaching skills.
Documentation:
Signature Example: Ceballos
Business Card Stamped Stretcher |
 Ceballos at the Washington Square Art Show, NYC Jesus Ceballos Brochure |
| Jesus Ceballos Brochure lists Awards |
- Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 18, 2002, Obituaries, Jesus Ceballos
- Joe Williams, Fort Lauderdale News, Davie Stable Now Gallery for Budding Florida Art, Jan. 30, 1966, Page 2G. Announces an exhibit of Jesus Ceballos' work.
- Roland Scott, Fort Lauderdale News, Art News, Jan. 4th, 1970, Page 8H. Mayan Indian artist, Jesus Ceballos exhibits at the Emerald Gallery, Diplomat Hotel East, Hollywood, FL, until Jan. 30th.
- Fort Lauderdale News, June 20, 1963, Page 4C. Lists Jesus Ceballos as an art teacher.
- Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 6, 1964, Announces exhibit at First National Bank.
- Mutual Art, email from Costel on Dec. 15, 2020, states: Our content team has reviewed the information you sent us and was unable to find any sources that supports it.
- Invaluable.com, has the painting that is on the front page of Jesus Ceballos' art brochure listed as Rufino Ceballos painting, sold Sloans & Kenyon, Chevy Chase, MD, on Feb. 13, 2010.
- Michele Wise, email conversations, Dec. 10 & 18, 2020, providing detailed information on Jesus Ceballos. Ms. Wise is the daughter of Jesus Ceballos. Documentation has now been found that Jesus participated in more than the Washington Square Art Show, but also the Virginia Beach Boardwalk Show and the Greenwich Village Art Show. _______________________________________________________
©2020. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos and blog was created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #walleryoblonskyblogspot #Ceballosartist #JesusCeballos #RufinoCeballos
Thank you for this. A student of his, my stepmother gave me one of his floral still life paintings. It is beautiful. Kim
ReplyDeleteI came across a piece by him, it was of course attributed to Rufino. I can send a pic if desired
ReplyDelete