Fortunato Arriola

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Fortunato Arriola (1827 - 1872) Born in Cosala, Sinaloa, Mexico he was a painter of portraits and luminous tropical landscapes that were very popular in San Francisco, California where he came to live in 1857. The son of a wealthy landowner, Arriola was a handsome, distinguished and cultivated man. He had a studio near the corner of Kearney and Clay Streets that was a gathering place for Mexican exiles, a place of intellectual ferment and the occasional brawl. Among his students were Toby Rosenthal and Ransom Holdredge.

In 1871, he exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York City. He died at sea on the return trip when the ship, which was carrying a load of gunpowder, exploded. Arriola left a widow and twelve children. His paintings are in the California Historical Society, Oakland Museum of California in Oakland, California and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. Many additional paintings are in a private collection of actor Steve Martin. Most of Fortunato Arriola's paintings were relatively small portrait paintings. His largest painting, "Sunset in the Tropics," in its original frame measuring just under 5ft by 7ft.