Spanish Masters
Velázquez, El Greco, Picasso, Zurbarán and
Murillo are just a few of the magnificent Spanish Artists that are the subject of a
new exhibit shortly to open at the world famous Prado of Madrid!
The Spanish Portrait:
From El Greco to Picasso
October 19 through February 5, 2005
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid Spain
The exhibit spans 500 years of Spanish artists comprising 84 works. The focal
viewpoint of this study is the portrait. The Spaniards were masters of this
genre. Each work is more than an exploration of the artist, it is also a study of
society at that moment in time and the subject or sitter. One fascinating aspect
of the Spaniards is their homage to those who went before them, specifically
Diego Velázquez and Las Meninas, which is part of this exhibit
along with Goya's The Family of Charles IV. Both are among the Prado's
permanent collection. Las Meninas is rarely featured in a
temporary exhibit. In fact this is the first time since the Velázquez exhibition
of 1990.
El Greco
Crete born Domenikos Theotocopoulos was given the name El Griego or The Greek
during his lifetime as he painted in Spain. Inexplicably he is now called
El Greco, which takes the Spanish 'the' coupled with the Italian word for
'Greek'. Crete belonged to Venice during the year of El Greco's birth
in 1541.
El Greco is considered the leader of the Spanish Renaissance. He was an
admirer of Titian's brilliant color palette. It is noted that during the time of
the Spanish Inquisition El Greco's work took on a frenzied near surreal
nature, perhaps a reflection of the times or of his own life. El Greco was
known to sue his patrons for payment that he felt was owed for his masterpieces.
Of Particular interest is El Greco's use of realism in his portraits, such as
in Gentleman with Hand on Chest. The elongated fingers are an eye
catching part of this work. His religious works are intense in their
use of emotion to convey an inner light of the subject matter.
Diego Velázquez
The star of Siglo de Oro, or the Golden Age of Spanish Painting, is without a
doubt Diego Velázquez. The Seville born artist learned under the tutelage of
Francisco Pacheco after a brief time at the studio of Francisco de Herrera the
Elder.
Appointed as court painter in 1623 Velázquez produced numerous works
of the Hapsburgs, including Philip IV. These works were majestic, common
when painting royalty, but the artist humanized his subjects and in
doing so captured the essence along with the likeness of the subject.
Francisco de Zurbarán
Philip IV was the Royal Patron of Zurbarán who was appreciated for his
incredible portrayals of religious figures deep in mediation in his portraits.
In the 1640s he became a rival to Murillo and unsuccessfully altered his
style. Zurbarán was powerful in his art, Murillo was often described as having a
sweet style.
Bartolé Esteban Murillo
The artist painted in his home city, Seville, and would overtake Zurbaran as
the leading Sevillian painter, a role he would keep for the rest of his life. He
favored religious subjects and one of his most outstanding commissions was to
paint the eleven Franciscan Saints for the Monastery.
In 1682 Murillo fell from scaffolding to his death, while working on the
Mystic Marriage of St Catherine.
Francisco de Goya
The realism of Diego Velázquez had a significant
effect on Francisco de Goya. Among his outstanding achievements were his portraits of
the Family of Charles IV. Goya honors his mentor, Velázquez, by depicting
himself in the painting behind a canvas, an acknowledgment of Las Meninas.
Goya managed to fool the King with his works. He painted the court as corrupt
and yet there isn't evidence he fell out of the favor of Charles
IV.
Pablo Picasso
Picasso ends the 500 year span of artists in The Spanish Portrait exhibit.
His Self-Portrait of 1901 was created during Picasso's blue period, which
began after the suicide of his friend and fellow artist Carlos Casagemas. He
would use the colors blue and green exclusively, reflecting his grief in his art.
The exhibition includes Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein.
Javier Portús has done a marvelous job as the
curator of The Spanish Portrait: From El Greco to Picasso. Some of the
collection includes works that will have their premiere showing in Spain. This
is just a hint of the magnificent Spanish portraitists that form just a small
part of this splendid exhibit.
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