In 1918, when this article was published, painter Ramón Torres Méndez (1809-1885) had been dead for thirty-three years. This text, which celebrates the life and work of that Colombian painter, is illustrated with a portrait of Torres Méndez by draftsman and printmaker Alberto Urdaneta (1845-1887). In the early 20th century, Colombian thinkers and artists gradually began to do historical research on Colombian artists. The most emblematic case is the book on colonial painter Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos (1638-1711) written by artist and art critic Roberto Pizano (1896-1930). The nationalist discourse occasioned by the celebration of the Colombian Centennial was a catalyst to the search for local role models in different spheres, and Torres Méndez was a key figure.
Considered one of the most important painters of the 19th century, Ramón Torres Méndez was a prolific artist who worked in a number of media (oil paint, print, pencil, and watercolor). His work ranges from miniatures of major figures of the time to caricatures. His production as a painter of local customs is unrivaled; his idealized scenes show the attitudes and behaviors of characters from the different regions of the country, as well as towns, rivers and manner of dress, themes that featured prominently in his extensive body of work.