Francisco Oller was one of the first Puerto Rican artists who ever studied in Europe. He had a hands-on participation in numerous Parisian avant-garde movements in time of modernist painting. There he met renowned impressionist artists of the time from whom he assimilated many of their techniques and ideas. In 1871, he was ordered Knight of Carlos III, and a year later was named painter of the Royal Chamber of Amadeus I. With his effort, the islanders began getting a taste for putting Puerto Rican reality on canvass, either through landscapes, people and traditions. His art ranges from realism to impressionism taught by French maestros.Oller's works and teaching labor from the mid 20th century till his death are considered basic elements that defined his painting tradition that had kicked off in the early 20th century in Puerto Rico. This timeframe makes him one of the century's most outstanding painters.