José García Ramos

JOSÉ GARCÍA RAMOS (Seville, 1852 - 1912).
"Portrait of a lady.
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 31 x 16 cm; 48 x 38 (frame).
José García y Ramos was initiated in the world of art very early, in fact he enrolled in the School of Fine Arts of Seville when he was still a child. There he would have Eduardo Cano de la Peña as his main teacher. He then completed his training in the workshop of José Jiménez de Aranda, with whom he moved to Rome in 1872. In the Italian capital he subsisted by selling small format paintings, which reproduced landscapes and Andalusian characters, and came into contact with Mariano Fortuny, whose work had an important influence on his artistic personality. After a period of two years in Spain, he returned to Rome in 1877, a year in which he also visited Naples and Venice. Between 1881 and 1882 García y Ramos lived in Paris, and later returned to Seville. There he was appointed president of the Escuela Libre de Bellas Artes, taught at the Escuela de Artes Industriales and in 1893 became a member of the Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel. He also participated in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts and collaborated as an illustrator in "La Ilustración Española y Americana", "La Ilustración Artística" and "Blanco y Negro". José García y Ramos stood out as one of the greatest exponents of Andalusian regionalism. Inspired by everyday themes, he reproduced the grace of popular characters and the festive atmosphere of the city. Many scenes are imbued with the romanticism of the time, with characters such as acrobats and bandits. The loose and agile drawing, as well as the fluidity and freedom of his brushstrokes, are the basis of his personal style. The bulk of the work of José García y Ramos is currently preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville.