Jose Montanes was born of poor parents in Liria, near Valencia, Spain. His father died in the flu epidemic, which ravaged Europe during World War I. Mrs. Montanes reared her two sons unassisted. Hunger, deprivation and the struggle for daily food were the constant companions of his and other Spanish families. Montanes has never forgotten that period of his life, and in many ways it is reflected in his paintings.

The artist has said: "Many times I remember that my mother told my brother and me that she was not hungry so that we could eat her share of the food. There was love, hope and encouragement in our home and hope for better times for the children." In these few sentences, Montanes gives us the key to the themes of much of his i...