Sofronio Mendoza (March 11, 1934 - September 21, 2021) was a Filipino painter and teacher who mentored young artists in the Philippines and in Canada.

He then managed to hone his skills under the tutelage of renowned Carcar-based Martino Abellana, who Mendoza credited as an early influence in representational painting.

He then found work in Ermita, where he became acquainted with artists in Mabini Street, associated with lowbrow commercial painters who favored "conservative" aesthetics.

The word Dimasalang originated from the pseudonym of Philippine national hero and freedom fighter Dr. Jose Rizal.

He also became a mentor to many young aspiring artists bringing forth Dimasalang II, with which his younger brother Godofredo Mendoza was a member.

[6] For decades, SYM was a realist and impressionist artist favoring street scenes and landscapes in his motherland and later in British Columbia.