José López Enguídanos

JOSÉ LÓPEZ ENGUÍDANOS (Valencia, 1760 - Madrid, 1812).
"Still life of watermelons".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has Repainting and restorations on the pictorial surface.
It has a frame of c. 1800 with faults and damage.
Measurements: 37 x 71 cm; 47 x 82, 5 cm (frame).
On an undetermined surface and cut out by a dark background behind, there are several watermelons. As it is usual in the examples of still lifes of Spanish school that follow the baroque tradition of the XVII century, the neutral background and a humble horizontal surface emphasize the objects that compose the painting. The still life in Spain was one of the most characteristic genres and, due to its special peculiarities, it is clearly different from this same theme in workshops in the rest of Europe. In this particular case, both the main presence of the watermelon and the technique bring us closer to the work of José López Enguídanos, an example of this is the painting "Still life with watermelon and rabbit that belongs to the collection of the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando Madrid (Nº0053) or "Still life with watermelons and figs (Nº0050).
Painter and engraver brother of the engravers Vicente and Tomás. He was formed in the Academy of San Carlos of Valencia and in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando of Madrid where he was a disciple of Mariano Salvador Maella. He also collaborated with Antonio Ponz when the latter was Secretary of the Royal Academy of Madrid, and accompanied him on some trips. He was named Academician of Merit in the Madrid institution in 1795, and obtained, in an honorary capacity, the position of painter of chamber by having the protection of Manuel Godoy. He also made numerous engravings on various subjects and drawings for other engravers, as well as several works with didactic intent. Although he dealt with history, painted copies of outstanding works and made several portraits, he was best known for his still lifes, which brought him notable success. His work received several awards such as the General Painting Competitions of 1781 and 1784. Today his work is preserved in certain private collections and in institutions such as the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid or the Casita del Príncipe de El Monasterio de El Escorial, in the Fundación Ignacio Larramendi, engravings in the Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid, etc.