Theodore Gentilz

1819-1906 Painter, born in Paris. He was trained as draftsman, painter, and engineer at the Imperial School of Mathematics and Drawing. Gentilz was engaged in 1844 by the French entrepreneur Henri Castro to serve as surveyor, artist, and promotion agent for Castro's projected colony in Texas. During the ensuing years, he carried his painting gear and surveying instruments over far-flung trails from the western reaches of El Paso del Norte to the Gulf Coast and deep into Mexico. Gentilz focused his artistic vision on the indigenous cultures of the Southwest, whose long and rich history was yet to be recognized. Indians, Mexican ranchers and villagers, street scenes on both sides of the border, and Spanish missions all captured his attention. At his death in San Antonio on January 4, 1906, he was survived only by his sister and her children. Dedicated to history as well as to art, Gentilz tempered his somewhat rigid painterly style with considerable drafting skill to produce a valuable record of events, characters, customs, architecture, and landscapes of his place and time. As a historian he also attempted to recreate contemporary events to which he was not actually a witness.