Manuel Lepe was born in Puerto Vallarta on April 17, 1936, where he would always live. Lepe, as he is called in his hometown, was the creator of the naif style, which is popularly referred to as Vallarta Art; he is the only Mexican artist registered in the French Directory of Naif Art. He lived during one of Vallarta's most blooming ages, at the time of John Houston's filming of the Night of the Iguana, which no doubt would leave a trace in his joyful and luminous vision. As a premonition of the close bond that Manuel Lepe was to establish with his town, one of his first "public" paintings would be on the walls of Vallarta, and in due time, when Vallarta's future as a tourist destination was being defined, his inspired images would be used as the town's first promotion posters.
His gentle and innocent vision would generate a group of followers: his brother Rodrigo Lepe, Ada Colorina, Javier Niño and Gilberto Grimaldo.
The joy of living in paradise is conveyed with an exultation of spirit in a world of luminous, playful happiness. Timeless images, which capture the true spirit of Vallarta in those naïf faces, to this day, prance and roam the streets of this town. His daughter, Marcela, comments that Lepe's pictures reflect her father's personality, a fun and childlike spirit that would always be playing and loved the company of children. Lepe simply painted what he saw in children everywhere.
His gentle and innocent vision would generate a group of followers: his brother Rodrigo Lepe, Ada Colorina, Javier Niño and Gilberto Grimaldo, all of whom share traits of resemblance as most are self-taught artists, who instinctively started painting at an early age completely unaware of materializing a naïf school and with barely any technical instruction in their first stages. However, though they all inherit Lepe's vision, each artist portrays his own approach to paradise. Ada Colorina presents a world that is essentially Mexican in nature, where her figures playfully follow their trade among a -profusion of colors, while in Javier Niño's work, nature is the most striking element and materializes in almost fantastical bursts.
They all share a detailed vision in their representation, where each detail plays an important role and often inspires an entire picture, such as an unwary jaguar appearing in the jungle. Experts in naif art argue that the authenticity of the naïf spirit lies not in its decorative trait, but in the artist's perception of life through instances and emphasis on detail, which constitute the pulse and body of his emotions.
Laura Quirós, Lepe's wife, remembers her first encounter with Manuel Lepe. She was invited to visit some friends, and sitting in their lounge she saw a painting that instinctively caught her attention. She describes the moment as a sudden curiosity to meet the man behind the picture.
