Considered to be, with good reason, the most beautiful nude in nineteenth-century Spanish painting, this work provides eloquent testimony of the modernity that made Rosales stand out in the Spanish artistic panorama of his time. He would have earned himself a prominent place among the era´s artistic vanguard in Europe if his brilliant career had not been cut short by his premature death. Neither a
This view of the so-called Eagle’s Castle in Gaucín (Malaga), with the valley of the Genal River and the Plain of Gibraltar in the background, is similar to an earlier view by Villaamil’s master, the Scottish artist David Roberts (1796-1864). The touches of evening light emphasise this monumental vision of the mountains of Ronda, interpreted with a picturesque and evocative grandeur charact
This scene of a young man blowing on burning embers was already developed by El Greco in Italy. Here, the motif is complicated by a mischievous young man and a monkey. This possible allegory of sexual desire may also be inspired by a classical work that was often used at that time, Pliny the Elder´s Natural History. The lighting effects and color contrasts show how the Bassano influenced El Greco,
A herd of bulls graze beside the backwaters of a quiet river, closely watched by the herdsmen resting on the bank. Farther back, two barges filled with local men prepare to cross the river. The closer of the two is being loaded with sacks of merchandise -possible contraband- carried by two donkeys near a ruined estate. A hill behind the lush woods that border the river is topped by an imposing for
A panoramic view of the Agujas mountain range near Corbera (Valencia). Encouraged by the realism that Europe was bringing to the fore through landscape painters like Carlos de Haes, this work was a clear catalyst for change in Spanish landscape painting. The vivid colors, with intense blues and mauves is, however, a personal characteristic of Muñoz. Here, he eschewed adding human figures to
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
Genaro Pérez Villaamil (El Ferrol, 1807-Madrid, 1854) can be considered the most significant and influential Spanish Romantic landscape painter and an artist who had an intense interest, characteristic of that period, in depictions of cities and their monuments.The small size of the tin plates on which theses scenes are painted allowed Villaamil to work from the motif, as he generally did w
The inscription, February, indicates that this still life belongs to a series on the twelve months of the year, of which at least five others have been located. Each depicts foodstuffs, floral elements or landscapes from its corresponding month. Here, hunting game is the predominant theme, especially birds, and there is also an interesting allusion to chocolate. While the latter was drunk for most
Rosales depicts the moment when the Catholic Queen dictates her last will and testament at Medina del Campo on 12 October 1504, just days before she died. Isabel stands out in a royal chamber almost in darkness, in a canopy bed, with a medal of the Order of Saint James on her bosom. The white sheets contrast with the muted colors of the other personages. The only note of color is the red robe of a
"Era el día de preparación. Así que al atardecer, José de Arimatea, miembro distinguido del Consejo, y que también esperaba el reino de Dios, se atrevió a presentarse ante Pilato para pedirle el cuerpo de Jesús. Pilato, sorprendido de que ya hubiera muerto, llamó al centurión y le preguntó si hacía mucho que había muerto. Una vez informado por el centurión, le entregó el cuerpo a José. Entonces Jo
Cardinal Fernando de’ Medici gave this canvas to the Minorite seminary of San Francisco de Paula, the saint who kneels in the foreground. The seminary, in Alcalá de Henares, was founded by the influential wife of Bartolomé de Santoyo, Keeper of the King’s Jewels and Royal Secretary. The canvas reflects the new style developed by the painter Santi di Tito in Florence from 1575 onwards
Painted in Paris, this is Casado del Alisal’s first known female portrait and one of his works that best summarises the importance of French models, which were in turn influenced by Velázquez. A characteristically Spanish restraint, conveyed by the plain background and dark tonality, contrasts with the figure’s spontaneity and smile, which are more typical of French portraiture. The result
This young aristocrat, portrayed in three-quarter length, stands posed before the viewer wearing a magnificent black satin and velvet dress trimmed with lace and ribbons, a close-fitting bodice and a full, domed skirt. Her hair is smoothed and parted, with braids wound around her ears and gathered in the back, held in place with a large, bejewelled pin and lace frill. She wears, at her neckline, a
As the dedication indicates, this portrait reflects the close friendship between the artist and Eduardo Zamacois (1841-1871), his friend and fellow artist in Paris. Despite the portrait’s restrained, intimate nature, defined by its format and dark tonalities, the sitter is elegantly presented and enlivened by the red of his beret.
With this canvas painted in Paris, Casado del Alisal reached his own understanding of Velázquez, bringing a new realism to Spanish history painting. But here, rather than reflecting history painters’ traditional fascination with Spain’s glorious past -especially the reign of the Catholic Monarchs and the splendors of the empire- Casado turns his eye to a much more recent case, evoking one o
This study is an initial idea for the composition of the final canvas which the artist devised through numerous preparatory studies and drawings, the majority in the Prado. Rosales tried out the colour, lighting and arrangement of the figures, most of them grouped on the right including the seated Ferdinand the Catholic.
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).
This portrait of Jaime Girona, a politician and financier from Barcelona, is of a typology that the artist repeated frequently in portraits of the bourgeoisie in the 1850s, and it is perhaps his work of highest quality. The naturalness of the sitter is remarkable, as is the careful modelling and the delicate precision in the representation of his hands.