Tobias and the Angel
1858 - 1863. Oil on canvas.Not on display
According to the Bible, Tobias was standing by a river when he was attacked by a giant fish. He was saved by his guardian angel. The painting shows the protagonist seeking refuge from the angel. The latter is turned slightly to the left. He points at the fish with his left hand, calming the boy. The closeness of this work to the aesthetics of the German Nazarine painters or the Italian Prerafaelists indicates Rosales´s knowledge of those tendencies in European painting, with which he was already familiar before his trip to Rome. He may have received those influences from his teachers, Carlos Luis de Ribera and Federico de Madrazo. The painter made numerous preparatory drawings and sketches, which shows how carefully he studied the composition and how concerned he was to insure the final results. Yet these characteristics seem to conflict with the intentionally unfinished appearance of the final work, thought this ties in with the esthetic investigation visible in other works from the same period, such as Ophelia (P04623) or Female Nude (P04616). This work was acquired on 12 June 1879 for the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture and was later at the Museum of Modern Art.
