Carlos Vazquez

CARLOS VÁZQUEZ ÚBEDA (Ciudad Real, 1869 - Barcelona, 1944).
"Tea time".
Charcoal, pastel, chalk, gouache and watercolor on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
This work was part of the exhibition "Picasso and the 4 Cats" organized by the Museum of Modernism in Barcelona from April 13, 2023 to July 14, 2023, curated by Gabriel Pinós.
Measurements: 65 x 45 cm.

Carlos Vázquez Úbeda offers us an elegant, naturalistic and spontaneous image, a faithful reflection of the social life around 1900. In the foreground, a young lady dressed in the fashion of the time, with a feathered hat and marabou, puts on her glasses to look into the distance. The scene takes place at tea time, as indicated by the porcelain teapots and cups resting on a small table, as well as the sun setting over a lake of golden reflections. In the background, Vázquez depicts a gentleman who, melancholic, fixes his gaze, once again, beyond what our eyes can see.

Painter, illustrator and poster artist, Carlos Vázquez trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he was a disciple of Carlos de Haes. He received a grant from the Diputación de Ciudad Real and completed his studies in France and Italy, finally settling in Paris, where he worked with León Bonnat. He assiduously sent his works to national and foreign competitions, obtaining third medal in the National of 1892, second in the editions of 1899 and 1901, first in that of 1910 and decoration in 1904. He participated in the Paris Salons, where he obtained honorable mention in 1890, third medal in 1904 and second in 1907. He was also awarded first medal at the International Exposition of Barcelona in 1899, silver medal at the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1910 and in Buenos Aires in 1915, the same year in which he won the gold medal at the Exposition of San Francisco. He was a member of the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, knight of the French Legion of Honor, honorary member of the Hispanic Society of America, president of the Artistic Circle and the Artistic-Literary Society of Barcelona, and was decorated with the Grand Cross of Alfonso XII and the Red Eagle of Germany. He is represented in the Prado Museum, as well as in outstanding private collections.