María Luisa Penne


María Luisa Penne Rullan de Castillo, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a painter, artist, and educator who taught and influenced the work of well-known artists such as Noemí Ruiz, Jaime Carrero, Rafael Rivera Garcia, and printmaker Susanna Herrero among others.

Early life

Doña María Luisa was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on September 11, 1913.

Education

Doña Maria Luisa attended the Pratt Institute in New York from 1932 to 1935 and became the first Puerto Rican woman to graduate from the prestigious art and design institute. She continued her studies, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puerto Rico in 1939 and a master's in Art from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947. Her doctoral studies were conducted at Columbia University in New York.
After returning to Puerto Rico, Mrs. Castillo or "la teacher" - as she was known to her disciples - began to work for the empowerment of women in the art world, a field traditionally reserved for male members of society. She firmly believed in the importance of education as a means to achieve such empowerment. Therefore, she decided to get involved in the field of art education.
Penne Rullan designed and implemented the art curriculum for the Polytechnic Institute of San Germán and for the Colegio de Mayaguez also known as the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She was Head of the Department of Fine Arts at both institutions from 1940–1961 and 1961–1980, respectively.

Personal life

Penne Rullan married Don Francisco Castillo Amy and had two children.

Death

Penne died in San Juan, Puerto Rico in October 2005.

Disciples

Among Penne's students was Rafael Rivera Garcia.

Artist work and legacy

Some of her art work can be seen at the collection of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and at the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico.

Important expositions in her honor

Name of ExpositionSponsorDate
Pinturas y Artes Applicadas de María Luisa P. de CastilloUniversity of Puerto Rico1948
Cuadros para el hogar: Acuarelas de María Luisa P. de CastilloHotel Condado1952
Exposición de acuarelas de María Luisa P. De CastilloColegio de Agricultura y Artes Mecánicas de Mayaguez1961
Retrospectiva de María Luisa P. de CastilloDepartamento de Instrucción Pública1972
Exposición Homenaje a María Luisa CastilloUniversidad Interamericana, Recinto de San Germán1979
Exposición Homenaje a María Luisa CastilloAteneo Puertorriqueño1985
Exposición Retrospectiva: María Luisa Penne de CastilloMuseo Casa Roig1998
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon2010

Some collective expositions

Name of ExpositionSponsorDate
Primera Exposición Arte Independiente de Puerto Rico en la UPRUniversidad de Puerto Rico1939
Liga de Artistas AmericanosAteneo Puertorriqueño1945
El paisaje de Puerto RicoInstituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña1961
Museo de Arte de PonceMuseo de Arte de Ponce1968
IV Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano1979
Exposición Colectiva de Mujeres Artistas dedicada a la Prof. María Luisa CastilloLa Fortaleza1979
Pintura y gráfica de los años 50Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña1985
Mujeres Artistas de Puerto RicoMuseo de Bellas Artes del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña1986
De Oller a los Cuarenta: La pintura en Puerto Rico 1898–1948Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico1988
Mujeres Artistas: Protagonistas de los OchentaMuseo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico1990
Los tesoros de la pintura puertorriqueñaMuseo de Arte de Puerto Rico2000