Castelao

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao (1886 –1950), commonly known as Castelao, was a Spanish politician, writer, painter and doctor.

He is one of the fathers of Galician nationalism, promoting Galician identity and culture, and was one of the main names behind the cultural movement Xeración Nós.

In 1908 he obtained his degree in Medicine from the University of Santiago de Compostela. He passed his doctorate in Madrid in 1909, where he began to gain some popularity as a caricaturist and cartoon artist. In fact, Rodríguez Castelao often admitted he only studied medicine to please the wishes of his father. He rarely practiced medicine professionally despite having the credentials for it.

He eventually settled down in Rianxo, where he joined the political movement Acción Gallega ("Galician Action"). As a caricaturist, Rodríguez Castelao focussed on the everyday in a humorous way, although after experiencing the Spanish Civil War, he turned to using his art to denounce the cruelties of Fascism in a collection of paintings. His paintings would also depict casual moments of Galician life and culture.

In 1938, he was sent by the Spanish government to the Soviet Union, the United States and Cuba, in order to obtain support for the Republic. From New York City he cruised to Buenos Aires, where in 1941 he performed for the first time the play Os vellos non deben de namorarse, Castelao's contribution to Galician theatre.

Castelao died on 7 January 1950 in Buenos Aires. The Argentine Senate and the City of Buenos Aires erected monuments to honour him. Since then, most of his work has been translated and published into other languages. In 1984, Castelao's remains were brought back to Galicia and he was buried at the Panteón de Galegos Ilustres ("Pantheon of Illustrious Galicians"), Bonaval, in the capital city of Santiago de Compostela.

Thanks Victor.