(b Bogotá, 1849; d Bogotá, 1903). Colombian painter and singer. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he began his career as a painter of religious subjects and scenes of local customs and manners. Later he devoted himself to portraiture, earning a reputation as its greatest exponent in Colombia and establishing a workshop. His work in this genre was not only constant and prolific but also represented a considerable achievement through his ability both to capture the sitter’s likeness and to convey a sense of his or her personality.