José Cisneros 1910-2009 Immigrant Artist who tore at racism

 Posted by on 2009/11/19  Comments Off
Nov 192009
 
 José Cisneros 1910-2009 Immigrant Artist who tore at racism

EL PASO — The world knew José Cisneros as a great painter. He was much more than that in El Paso, where his work turned heads and tore down barriers. Cisneros, who died Saturday at age 99, was a gentle man and a devout Catholic who used his talent to battle racism, said Monsignor Arturo Bañuelas, pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Community. Bañuelas gave the eulogy Wednesday at Cisneros’ funeral. “At a time when there was a lot of ugliness out there, when the Spanish were punished for speaking, when Latinos had to walk in the back door to eat, José Cisneros painted beauty,” Bañuelas said. “At that time, in those moments of ugliness, our maestro painted beauty for MORE