This religious scene with its life-size figures, is treated in the sober manner usually applied to scenes from Roman history. It was the first major painting produced by Madrazo whilst training in Paris under Jacques-Louis David, and earned him an increase in his grant from Charles IV, enabling him to continue his studies in Rome.
This preparatory sketch for the large-scale canvas painted by Madrazo in Rome (also on display in this room) reveals various differences with respect to the final composition. Madrazo gave more space to the tent in the upper part of the sketch, which he subsequently reduced. There are also differences in the figures and in the landscape with the camp on the far right, which he enlarged.
Rico painted the Guadarrama Mountains years before the railway made it accessible to artists. That is clear in some watercolours and this oil painted at the León Pass, which he sent to the National Exhibition of 1858. The decreasing succession of trees and mountains is a device typical of Romantic painting, but Rico’s interest in depicting the types of moss and grass reflect a clearly reali
Double portraits of this type, which were common in the mid-nineteenth century, were generally painted when the son or daughter was presented in society. The mother, depicted as seated, represented an example to the daughter, normally shown standing. In this case the richly furnished room and the sitter`s clothes and jewels indicate the wealthy status of this well-known family of bankers.
In the mid-nineteenth century Federico de Madrazo produced some of the most successful portraits of the Spanish bourgeoisie during the reign of Isabel II (1833-68), presenting them with the opulence that their social status demanded. In addition to his remarkable artistic ability, his female portraits are outstanding for their depiction of the accessories and adornments. These details are emphasis
Martín Rico was one of the leading Spanish landscape painters of the second half of the nineteenth-century. He was particularly interested in depicting tranquil stretches of water, and during his long stay in France he often painted the countryside around the rivers Seine and Marne near Paris. Here, using a very limited range of colours, he arranges the composition in parallel horizontal st
The scene here unfolds in the foreground, which is occupied by a large rocky outcrop and trees and on the right opens onto a luminous landscape enclosed by mountains in the background. The spatial transition between the dark foreground and luminous background is still somewhat awkward. In the figures the brushwork is smooth and uniform, giving the nudes a pearly appearance, whereas in the landscap
The beauty of its high peaks attracted numerous landscape painters to the French region of the Dauphinoise. Among them was Haes, who was captivated by this landscape near Provence and the French Alps. In this panoramic view, typical of his early output, he maintains his use of earthy tones and strongly modelled volumes defined by contrasts of light. The canvas was executed in his studio from a pre
Manzano, a skilled portraitist and leading painter of genre scenes, highlights the fact that -despite his poverty- the boy can read, an uncommon skill in the nineteenth century, even among the middle classes. The realist rendering of the boy’s clothes, his hands and the pages of his book, as well as the refined technique and the sober composition, all point to the early influence of Velázqu
Luis Rigalt is considered to be the founder of the renowned Catalonian school of landscape painting due to his activities as Professor of Landscape at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. The precise line and careful handling of the light are characteristic of his views, in which he depicted some of the most outstanding landscapes of Catalonia.
Medieval architecture gained new appreciation in the Romantic era. At the outset of his career, Parcerisa produced a popular collection of lithographs of medieval buildings entitled Recollections and Sights of Spain, grouped by province. In the 1850s he also began a series of canvases entitled Spain´s Ancient Monuments, among them this view of the main façade of Spain’s most admired Gothic
Cabral depicts the famous monstrance made by Juan de Arfe in 1587 being carried in procession along calle Génova in Seville. The painting’s precise, detailed style allows the figure of the Infanta Luisa Fernanda, younger sister of Isabel II, to be identified, together with her husband the Duke of Montpensier and their eldest daughter, María Isabel de Orleans.
This work shows politician, poet, playwright and tutor to Queen Elizabeth II, Manuel José Quntana (Madrid, April 11, 1772- Madrid, March 11, 1857) on the day of his coronation in the Senate as Illustrious Poet (March 25, 1855).
In this work, Fortuny establishes an eloquent link between painting and music and a clear exposition of what his friend, the Baron Davillier, called his very lively and very pure taste in music. Fortuny depicts one of the musical evenings that he attended in Madrid during the summer of 1866 at his friend and former classmate, Catalan painter Francisco Sans y Cabot’s studio at no. 13, calle Flor Ba
The mural paintings that decorated the house known as “la Quinta del Sordo,” where Goya lived have come to be known as the Black Paintings, because he used so many dark pigments and blacks in them, and also because of their somber subject matter. The private and intimate character of that house allowed the artist to express himself with great liberty. He painted directly on the walls in what must
The mural paintings that decorated the house known as “la Quinta del Sordo,” where Goya lived have come to be known as the Black Paintings, because he used so many dark pigments and blacks in them, and also because of their somber subject matter. The private and intimate character of that house allowed the artist to express himself with great liberty. He painted directly on the walls in what must
The mural paintings that decorated the house known as “la Quinta del Sordo,” where Goya lived have come to be known as the Black Paintings, because he used so many dark pigments and blacks in them, and also because of their somber subject matter. The private and intimate character of that house allowed the artist to express himself with great liberty. He painted directly on the walls in what must