Francisco Amighetti attended the main school for boys in San Jose called the Liceo de Costa Rica where his artistic talent became apparent, and his art teachers encouraged him to enroll in the Academia de Bellas Artes. During these early years of artistic formation, Amighetti gained recognition through his cartoons that were published in the famous artistic magazine "Repertorio Americano." During the 1930s, Amighetti and other artists rebelled against the academic establishment, which had contributed to their formation. He and artists like Francisco Zúñiga rejected traditional European schools and opted for more revolutionary ones, like Surrealism. During this time these artists began producing xylographs and other types of engraved plates. In 1934 Amighetti and his colleagues published an album of xylographs that would later become a central work of Costa Rican art. Francisco Amighetti also mastered other techniques, such as drawing, oil and water painting and others. His works feature different styles, enabling him to produce Primitivist xylographs and Impressionist landscape paintings.