[1] Due to family pressure, he studied law, Philosophy, and Literature in Deusto (1920–21), and then Chemistry in Oviedo (1921–22), but he ended up abandoning both to devote himself to painting.
[1] Also in Paris, he became acquainted with the avant-garde movements, coming into contact with the Spanish people living there, such as Francisco Bores, Manuel Ángeles Ortiz, Hernando Viñes, and Benjamín Palencia.
[1] During this period, Ucelay created several sets for theatre, and was also the main promoter of the homage to Góngora organized by the Association of Basque Artists in Bilbao (1927).
[1] In the 1930s, the study of colour and atmospheric effects occupied a prominent place in these works, which during his exile, included an iconographic repertoire of marine themes.
[1] His painting, with a personal realism, focuses on the representation of landscapes and characters from his land, carried out with great technical perfection and a characteristic style of stylized forms.