Julia López

The World-Renowned Self-Taught Painter

Julia López in her studio.

Mexican painter Julia López learned to read, do math, and paint all on her own. Many of her paintings feature rural scenes from the Guerrero town of her girlhood. While modeling formal gowns in Mexico City in 1952, she met a fashion designer acquainted with the famous painter Frida Kahlo. After being introduced to Frida, Julia connected with more artists and was inspired to pick up a paintbrush herself. Today, she is a celebrated painter known the world over.

Julia López was born in 1936 near Ometepec, a Mexican city in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero state. She had seven sisters, and her parents were farmers of African and native Amuzgo heritage. Julia and her sisters were thrust into farm life early, and they sold meat, harvested cotton, chili peppers, tobacco, and other crops. They carried fruits on their heads down to the beach to dry in the sun. Some of the money they made selling the harvest allowed them to attend local Mexican fairs.

It was at those fairs that Julia got a taste of the wider world. She enjoyed the merry-go-round and other attractions, but the photos on display that featured other places of the world intrigued her most. In a podcast interview with the BBC, Julia recalled that moment, saying:

“Those images made my imagination go wild, and I thought to myself, I need to go to these places.”

Portrait of Julia López. Illustrated by Daniel J. Middleton.

Her rural existence had been one of poverty and grueling hours in the field, and she had a volatile relationship with her mother. Being able to experience the outside world wasn’t going to be possible unless she ventured out of her small farm village. Longing for a better life, she decided to run away. When she was thirteen, Julia hitched a ride on a coconut truck to Acapulco 112 miles away. After she arrived, she found a job at a restaurant frequented by vacationing Hollywood celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor.

Life in the exotic city did not last long, however. Julia’s sister Natividad found her and brought her home, where she received a fierce beating from her mother. Julia lay in bed that night contemplating her fate. Her mother forbade her to leave again. Julia decided she was not only going to escape a second time, but she was also going to go even farther away. Julia made good on her word shortly after by hitching a ride on a plane in the Ometepec airfield this time. She flew 280 miles to Mexico City and never lived in the village of her girlhood again.

A classic tailor-made mariachi suit from Julia’s day.

Penniless and shoeless, Julia managed to reach her godmother, who lived in an upscale neighborhood. Julia worked for her as a maid, but a chance meeting with another wealthy neighbor brought a new opportunity. The woman who admired her beauty owned a fashion studio where she designed elegant mariachi outfits, bridal dresses, and the like. She had Julia model dresses from that day on.

Celebrities and famous artists dropped by often, and Julia became part of that social circle. Frida, who also admired Julia, recommended her to Antonio M. Ruíz. He was director of the national school of art La Esmeralda. Julia began modeling at the school. Inspired by the gifted muralists, sculptors, and painters who surrounded her, Julia began to paint. She went from being a top model for artists to a celebrated artist in her own right.

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This article appears in 12 Extraordinary Black Latinos.

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