Francisco Arturo Michelena Castillo (Spanish pronunciation: [aɾˈtuɾo mitʃeˈlena]; 16 June 1863  – 29 July 1898) was a Venezuelan painter known for his historical and genre scenes and portraits.

In 1874, aged only eleven, he drew the illustrations for the American edition of Costumbres Venezolanas (Venezuelan Customs) by the journalist Francisco de Sales Pérez (1836-1926), who became his sponsor and introduced him to the circle of influential people associated with the statesman, Antonio Guzmán Blanco, in hopes of getting him a scholarship.

[1] Later, he received lessons from a French emigrant painter named Constanza de Sauvage, who had been a student of Eugène Devéria.

In 1883, this exposure enabled him to enter two paintings in the "Great Exhibition of the Centennial of the Birth of El Libertador" (Simón Bolívar), where he was awarded a silver medal.

He also received a commission from the Venezuelan government, to create a work that would be presented to the city of New York, in thanks for the hospitality shown to General José Antonio Páez, during his exile there.