Juan Francisco Rodríguez Montoya (Guadalajara, Jalisco, 1920 - Mexico City, 2006), better known as Juan Soriano, was self-taught and trained alongside prominent artists and intellectuals such as Lola Álvarez Bravo, Carlos Pellicer, María Izquierdo, Luis Barragán, and Octavio Paz. In 1935, he moved to Mexico City, joined the group Contemporáneos, and studied at the Escuela Nocturna para Trabajadores (Night School for Workers). 

Throughout his career, he ventured into various disciplines, from painting to sculpture and set design. In 1945, his trip to New York deeply influenced him by way of modern painting, and in the 1950s, his experience in Rome led him to experiment with European avant-gardes. He was awarded the José Clemente Orozco painting prize in 1957 and held a retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts Museum). Throughout his career, he received other international honors, such as the National Art Prize, the Velázquez Prize for Fine Arts, and the Universal Excellence Award from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor from the French government, and the Order of Merit of Poland.