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OLLU celebrates life and art of Jesse Treviño (‘74)

Sep 23, 2019

A two-hour celebration to honor the life and art of Jesse Treviño (BA Art 1974) attracted a gathering of alumni, students and lovers of art Friday night at the Sueltenfuss Library.

Anthony Head, author of “Spirit: The Life and Art of Jesse Treviño,” discussed his biography before an audience seated beneath a 100-foot mural,  “La Historia Chicana,” that Treviño painted as an OLLU student.

Treviño followed with warm remembrances of his days at OLLU a generation ago. After losing his right painting hand in the Vietnam War, Treviño returned to San Antonio, full of gloom. Two Sisters from the Congregation of Divine Providence, Tharsilla Fuchs and Ethel Marie Corne, lifted his spirits and helped him develop the skill to paint with his left hand.

“I didn’t have confidence,” Treviño recalled. “They helped me regain it.”

With the help of the Sisters, Treviño became a master at photo-realism. His works hang in the Smithsonian, adorn the 90-foot exterior wall at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital and are displayed in museums, homes and public spaces throughout San Antonio and the U.S.

Head’s biography sold dozens of copies. A book signing followed with a long line waiting to meet and greet Treviño and Head.

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