Francisco Pradilla

FRANCISCO PRADILLA (Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, 1848 - Madrid, 1921).
"Tipos baturros", 1872.
Graphite on paper.
Work painted on both sides.
Attached certificate of authenticity issued by D. Wifredo Rincón García, 2019.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Presents testamentary stamp on the back.
Measurements: 17 x 25 cm.
Wilfredo Rincón Garcia, is a Doctor in Art History, specialist in Spanish art of the 19th century; and author of numerous works on the life and work of Francisco Pradilla Ortiz.
This is a drawing of the first years of the artist's production, which can be deduced from the popular attire of the people. We know that the author was in Zaragoza in 1872, where he made several drawings on the acts of consecration of the temple of the Lady of Pilar. Published by the Spanish and American illustration. Although at first sight it looks like a scene of equine cattle, some details of the same one, lead us to think that it is a stop on the way made by a galley. Pradilla's image is full of anecdotes, which shows the artist's ability to immortalize moments and details, and on the back there is a drawing of two mules, as well as a round rubber stamp, from the artist's will after his death in 1921, which lasted throughout the following year.
Francisco Pradilla began his training as an apprentice to Mariano Pescador, a painter and set designer, and at the San Luis School of Fine Arts in Zaragoza. In 1868 he continued his studies at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he was a disciple of Federico de Madrazo, Carlos de Haes, Carlos Luis de Ribera and Ponciano Ponzano. He completed his training in these years by copying works of the great masters of the Prado Museum. In 1874 he won the Drawing Prize of the "Spanish and American Enlightenment", and obtained a scholarship to study in Rome, where he lived for twenty-three years, until his appointment as director of the Prado in 1897. In 1878, he took part in the National Exhibition in Madrid and won the Medal of Honor, the same distinction he won that same year at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. As a result of these successes he received numerous commissions not only from Spain and France, but also from America and other European countries. He travels around Spain and is interested in capturing genre scenes full of grace and color, always supported by an exceptional mastery of drawing. Although he did not make individual exhibitions, his works were part of exhibitions and competitions in cities around the world, such as London, Paris, Berlin, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. He was director of the Spanish Academy in Rome, and a member of the Royal Academies of San Fernando and San Luis, the French Academy and the Hispanic Society of New York. He received, among other decorations, the Cross of Isabella the Catholic and the Legion of Honor. Of the pictorial genres he cultivated, including graphic illustration for literary publications, it is worth mentioning that of history painting, which was the one that brought him the most fame. As a portrait painter, his activity was more restricted and his results were uneven when he had to deal with effigies of deceased people, but in front of living models he achieved portraits of serene expressiveness and studied and intoned workmanship. He also dedicated himself to genre painting, either of Italian popular inspiration or of matters of Madrid customs or of Galicia, his wife's place of origin and where he used to spend some seasons. Both in the history paintings and in these, Pradilla shows a clear inclination for outdoor settings, organizing the compositions in wide panoramic perspectives with a multitude of figures and motifs, interpreted with a very refined technique. However, the most outstanding aspect of his language is the sense of light and atmosphere, under which the tight drawing softens and blends with the luminous background by means of small brushstrokes of a color rich in nuances and paste.