Benjamin Palencia

BENJAMIN PALENCIA (Barrax, Albacete, 1894 - Madrid, 1980).
"Vallecas", 1948.
Watercolour on paper.
Signed, titled and dated in the lower right corner.
It presents slight faults in the frame.
Measurements: 38 x 60 cm; 66 x 88 cm (frame).
In this magnificent celebratory scene, the communion with nature and the hedonism of the bodies is expressed in a manner similar to Matisse's famous dance. It belongs to Benjamin Palencia's most avant-garde period, when he formed the vibrant group of Surrealists around the village that gives this painting its title.
Founder of the Vallecas School together with sculptor Alberto Sánchez, Benjamin Palencia was one of the most important heirs of the poetics of the Castilian landscape characteristic of the Generation of '98. At the age of fifteen Palencia left his native town and settled in Madrid to develop his training through his frequent visits to the Prado Museum, as he always rejected the official teachings of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 1925 he took part in the Exhibition of Iberian Artists held at the Retiro Palace in Madrid, and in 1926 he travelled to Paris for the first time. Already fully consolidated, in 1943 he obtained the first medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts and in 1944 he was selected to participate in the Salón de los Once de Eugenio D'Ors in Madrid. The following year he was awarded the medal of honour at the National Exhibition, although he gave it up in order to facilitate its award to José Gutiérrez Solana.