Voces del Prado

My initiation in woodwork

José Manso Gómez, Textile and Panel Painting Conservator, 1953-1992

At Amaniel Street there was an atelier dedicated to making sculptures of saints. I would go there every day whenever I could. One day a man came out and asked me how old I was. I was twelve or thirteen at the time. Since I could not enter as an apprentice, I would have to come in as a student and it cost 5 duros. I didn't have that money so I couldn't study there.
Between 1939 and 1940, before World War II started, I would go to the atelier of Gregorio Zabala, who taught me an awful lot. He was also good at drawing tears and anger. You'd finish your work and it looked really nice, and he would look at it and say, "Let's see if it's well centred." Smack! And you'd have to repeat it. This happened once and again, until finally he would say, "Okay, this one will do."
I was a first official, but they couldn't give me that category because of my young age. I was assisted by officials. They assisted the assistant, me, with certain furniture. I can say it with no provisos. When I entered the Museum I worked there in the afternoons, because I could combine it with work at other ateliers, they knew me and that's why they took me in.