Pedro Figari was born in 1861. Although he showed an interest in art during his childhood, most of his life was devoted to the practice of law. In 1886, he received a degree in law. His position as a defense counsel for the poor exposed him to many
social issues that most likely influenced his art later on. During the same year in which he received his degree, Figari studied under
Godofredo Sommavilla, an academically trained
Italian painter, got married, and went to France. It was there that he was exposed to
Post-Impressionism, which also greatly influenced his art. "On his return to Uruguay he became actively involved in journalism, law and politics as well as fostering the creation of the Escuela de Bellas Artes. […] He was a member of the Uruguayan Parliament, president of the Ateneo of Montevideo and director of the Escuela Nacional de Artes y Oficios." Although people often claim that Figari did not actually begin to paint until his later life, he had always painted to some extent. His early paintings were "tight
watercolor and
oil sketches [that had both] academic charm [and] the expert domestic intimacy of
Manet and
Degas". It was not until 1921, at the age of 60, that Figari devoted himself completely to painting. He moved to
Buenos Aires and left behind the Italian style that he had adopted earlier in his career. Here, he "created
figurative compositions as arrangements of colour, reconstructing rather than documenting the Uruguayan scene; the
geography,
gaucho life, the celebrations, symbolic
rituals and
carnivals of the local black community." ==Style==