Rafael Romero Barros

He was born in Huelva on May 30, 1832, but his family moved to Seville shortly after his birth. At the age of twelve, he enrolled at the Universidad Literaria, and during that time studied painting under the landscape artist Manuel Barrón y Carrillo. Among his fellow pupils were the romantic Bécquer brothers. He also attended the Academy of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel de Hungría. Influenced both by his teacher and his own inclinations, he gravitated toward landscape painting, a genre in which he won several awards. He later worked as a painter, archaeologist, and writer in Córdoba.

In 1856, he married Rosario de Torres Delgado, with whom he had eight children. Some of them pursued artistic careers and became members of the Friendship Circle, including Enrique Romero de Torres.

His painting “Un ramo de naranjas” (P006230) dates from 1861. He was established in Córdoba by 1862. At the age of 30, he was appointed curator of the Provincial Museum of Painting.

In 1866, the School of Fine Arts of Córdoba was founded, and he taught Drawing there. In 1867, he was appointed secretary under director José Saló y Junquet, and in 1870, he succeeded him as director—a position he held until his death. At the school, he taught a generation of prominent artists, including Tomás Muñoz Lucena, Manuel Villegas Brieva, José Serrano Pérez, Mateo Inurria, and his own sons.

Shortly after joining the school, he also became a conservator at the newly founded Archaeological Museum in 1868 and was appointed director in 1881. During these years, he not only exhibited in various competitions—many of which he helped organize—but also received numerous awards and critical acclaim. He exhibited five paintings described by the jury as "first-class," including “Un recuerdo de África (Novia sefardí)” and “Bodegón de naranjas.”

In 1872, he sent “cuatro paisajes de las inmediaciones de Córdoba” to a show at the Casino Cordobés. In 1876, he submitted two works to the General Exhibition: “Cercanías de la huerta de morales en la Sierra de Córdoba” and “Un estanque.” Barros painted a portrait of Queen María Cristina of Habsburg-Lorraine as a gift to commemorate King Alfonso XII's prior visit to an exhibition organized by the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País. The portrait was framed in intricate silver filigree. A decade later, he painted another portrait of the queen, this time wearing “the sash of the Noble Ladies of María Luisa and the royal crown.” He also delivered a lecture at the Ateneo titled “El estado de la pintura religiosa-hispana en el siglo XV y la influencia de las escuelas italiana y germánica en la península, representada en la tabla de La Anunciación del pintor Pedro de Córdoba.” From this period also comes “Rosalía Paul Erne” (P008163), painted in 1877.

He became a member of the Friendship Circle in 1890 and served as a juror for its exhibitions in 1868, 1872, 1888, 1892, and 1895. He also participated in the 1892 Exposición Artística, Industrial y Agrícola, where he contributed to the innovative section on “Artes retrospectivas” with “seven paintings featuring Arab fragments, a Roman bust and three Arab capitals, three funerary urns, three amphorae, two paintings with Visigothic fragments, and three Arab capitals.”

In addition to his artistic practice, he also demonstrated expertise in literature, publishing essays and articles on history, art, and archaeology.

He held numerous positions of responsibility: treasurer and president of the arts section of the Sociedad Económica de Córdoba, secretary of the Provincial Commission of Historical and Artistic Monuments, member of the Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico, secretary of the Asociación de Obreros Cordobeses “La Caridad”, member of the Academia de Córdoba, corresponding member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and of the Asociación Artístico-Arqueológica Barcelonesa, member of the Real Academia de la Historia, pintor de cámara to His Majesty, and Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

He passed away on December 2, 1895.