José Torres Martino, Puerto Rican painter and writer, died after a long illness he was , 94.

José Antonio Torres Martino  was a Puerto Rican painter, artist, journalist and writer died after a long illness he was , 94.. Martino founded or expanded many of Puerto Rico's major media, artistic and journalism organizations. He was known for abstract paintings, many of which were inspired by the southern coast of Puerto Rico near the second city of Ponce.

(1916 - April 22, 2011)

Torres was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1916.^[1] Torres was raised in Puerto Rico, but moved to New York City, where he studies at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for a brief time.^[1] Financial problems forced him to leave Pratt before completing his degree and he returned to Puerto Rico.^[1]
He began working as a radio journalist upon his return to Puerto Rico from New York.^[1] He co-founded Puerto Rico's first magazine focusing on radio journalism when he was 22 years old.^[1] According to Margarita Fernandez Zavala, a professor of art at the University of Puerto Rico, Torres went on to become a well known voice for radio and television audiences between the 1940s and 1980s.^[1] Fernandez Zavala called Torres "one of the pioneers of radio and television on the island."^[1]
Torres continued to paint while working on the radio in his twenties. During the mid-1940s, he was able to transition to painting as a full-time career.^[1] He returned to New York City, where he resumed school and held exhibitions of his work.^[1] He was able to tour Europe, before returning to Puerto Rico. He then co-founded both the Center for Puerto Rican Art and the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico.^[1]
He remained active in the Puerto Rican media. Torres co-founded the Press and Television Guild of Puerto Rico in 1951, and later served as the guild's president.^[1] He spearheaded the creation of a graphics art program and workshop at the University of Puerto Rico.^[1] In addition to his appearances on the radio, Torres also became a columnist for El Nuevo Día, a Puerto Rican daily newspaper.^[1]
Jose Torres Martino died at Pavia Hospital in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 22, 2011, at the age of 94. He was survived by his son and two granddaughters.^[1]

 

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