Epifanio I. Jusino, 86; Painter Documented Puerto Rican Culture
Epifanio Irizarry Jusino, 86, an impressionist painter known for his watercolors and acrylic paintings of local landscapes and traditions, died of respiratory failure Friday in his native Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Irizarry, also known as Fano, was “not only an excellent painter but he also documented for future generations the traditions and folklore of the southern region,” said Nestor Murray, founder of the Casa Paoli cultural center in Ponce.
Many residents of Puerto Rico’s southern coast, divided from the more-developed northern coast by a range of mountains, take pride in the area’s agrarian roots and strong attachment to traditional music, crafts and arts.
Some of Irizarry’s better-known paintings depicted a performance of bomba y plena music and a flamboyant tree in full flower.
His work was widely collected and exhibited on the Spanish-speaking Caribbean island.
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