The painter Jose de Madrazo

Through his portraits, José de Madrazo presents us with an intriguing interplay of identities. The earliest image of him, portrayed as an angel by Gregorio Ferro, marked the start of an exploration that often involved other artists and which the Prado has enhanced with an enigmatic black silhouette (D008428), a lithographic portrait (G005153) and this photograph, capturing him at three successive stages in his life. What drives an artist to multiply his image in so many ways and using so many techniques? Madrazo, always at the cutting edge, reveals both his fascination with emerging technologies and his ever-enquiring mind, taking his own image as the primary subject of his bold artistic research.