Julio Romero de Torres

JULIO ROMERO DE TORRES (Córdoba, 1874 - 1930)
"The sin of Claudina", 1900-1905.
Pencil and charcoal on paper.
Signed in the upper right corner.
Measurements: 28 x 27 cm. 40.5 x 40.5 cm (frame).
The work corresponds to the portrait of a female figure from the short story "El Pecado de Claudina", published after winning the second prize in the literary contest of El Libro Popular. "El Pecado de Claudina" was written by José Reygadas and illustrated by Julio Romero de Torres, who made four drawings in addition to the cover. The work was published on June 10, 1913, which allows us to date the creation of the work we present.
Julio Romero de Torres was born in an intellectual and artistic environment, which decidedly favored his vocation. His father, Rafael Romero de Barros, was also a painter and curator of the Museum of Fine Arts in Cordoba. Julio Romero began his training in 1884, combining classes at the Conservatory of Music with his father's drawing and painting classes. In 1890 we already find his first known work, "La huerta de Morales", and in 1895 he entered for the first time in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, with "Mira qué bonita era", a work that earned him an honorable mention and was acquired by the State. In 1897 he opted for the Rome prize, although he did not win the scholarship, and in 1902 he began his teaching career at the School of Fine Arts in Cordoba. The following year he moved to Madrid to learn first hand about the mural painting of the symbolists, after receiving his first major commission, a series of murals dedicated to the arts for the Círculo de la Amista de Córdoba. In this project his work still shows the influence of Puvis de Chavannes. Julio Romero then remained in Madrid, in contact with the circle of Valle-Inclán and Machado, frequenting the gatherings of the Café de Levante while maturing his own style. In 1906 he sent "Vividoras del amor" to the Nacional, a work that was rejected because of its scandalous subject matter. In Madrid he will become known through exhibitions such as the one at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in 1907, and he matures the idea of a trip to Europe that will mark a definitive change in his language, a clear desire for change. He continues to participate in the National Exhibitions, and in 1908 his work "The Gypsy Muse" is acquired by the State and earns him a first medal. This triumph will make that his paintings are sent to exhibitions held abroad, in Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. The definitive recognition came in 1910, when he was awarded the Order of Alfonso X the Wise and was appointed inspector of the delegation and royal commissariat at the Art Exhibition in Rome. The following year he obtained the gold medal at the National Fine Arts of Barcelona, and shortly after he was appointed full member of the Academy of Sciences, Fine and Noble Arts of Cordoba. Julio Romero, however, continued to live in Madrid, frequenting the Café Pombo gathering since 1913. Two years later a special room was dedicated to him at the National Exhibition, and in 1916 he was appointed professor at the Academy of San Fernando. During these years of success and recognition, his studio, in Madrid's Pelayo Street, became the center of gatherings and meetings. However, in 1928 he was forced to return to Cordoba for health reasons, although this did not prevent him from continuing to paint in his studio in the Plaza del Potro. In fact, in 1930, the same year of his death, he participated in the Ibero-American Exposition of Seville with a total of twenty-eight paintings. Although, like many of his contemporaries, Julio Romero began his career cultivating a regionalist work that would evolve along the lines of symbolism, the master would reach the maturity of his personal style around 1912, with a language that combines the Andalusian popular feeling and authentic folklore with the Renaissance tradition of Italian art.