The national hero of Uruguay is José Gervasio Artigas (1764–1850), who led the fight for independence against Brazil and Portugal. Juan Antonio Lavalleja (1786?–1853) directed the uprising that established Uruguay's independence in 1828. The nation's first two presidents were Gen. José Fructuoso Rivera (1790?–1854) and Brig. Gen. Manuel Oribe (1796?–1857), the founders of the Colorados and Blancos, respectively. One of Uruguay's greatest citizens was José Batlle y Ordóñez (1856–1929), who served twice as president of the country. José Pedro Varela (1845–79) was Uruguay's chief educational reformer.
One of the most respected defenders of Latin America's cultural tradition was José Enrique Rodó (1872–1917), whose Ariel and Motivos de Proteo fostered the idea of the superiority of Latin American culture. Juan Zorrilla de San Martín (1855–1933) was a 19th-century romantic poet whose finest work, Tabaré, describes Uruguay at the time of the Spanish conquest. Eduardo Acevedo Díaz (1851–1924) won fame as the writer of a gaucho novel, Soledad (1894). Other significant novelists are Carlos Reyles (1868–1938) and Javier de Viana (1872–1925). Horacio Quiroga (1878–1937) is regarded as one of Latin America's foremost short-story writers. The poets Julio Herrera y Reissig (1875–1910) and Juana de Ibarbourou (1895–1979) have attained a devoted audience beyond the borders of Uruguay. Emir Rodríguez Monegal (1921–85) is considered a leading writer and literary scholar.
The painter Juan Manuel Blanes (1830–1901) is best known for his Episode of the Yellow Fever. Pedro Figari (1861–1938) painted vivid scenes of early 19th-century Uruguay. Joaquín Torres García (1874–1949) founded his painting style on the principles of universalism and constructivism. Eduardo Fabini (1883–1951) is Uruguay's best-known composer. Francisco Curt Lange (b.Germany, 1903–1997), Latin America's foremost musicologist, founded various inter-American institutions and publications for the promotion of music of the Americas.