Dionisio Fierros Álvarez

DIONISIO FIERROS ÁLVAREZ (La Ballota, Asturias, 1827 - Madrid, 1894).
"Country scene".
Oil on canvas.
Signed.
Measurements: 31 x 49 cm; 40,5 x 59 cm (frame).

In this landscape of panoramic opening a simple bucolic scene is developed that has the property of transmitting us a traditional and religious message at the same time. Dionisio Fierro often combined rural themes with spiritual resonances, which in this case is given by the lambs and the young shepherd.

Born in a peasant environment, Dionisio Fierros was trained in Madrid, first in the workshop of José Madrazo and then in that of his son Federico. At the same time he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, and copied works in the Prado Museum. In 1885 he left the court and moved to Galicia, ready to succeed as a painter, and dedicated himself to commissioned portraits, a genre in which he stood out with a strong personality, between realist and romantic. He remained three years in Galicia, and tirelessly painted portraits, landscapes and genre scenes, with the popular types of the area. In 1860, Fierros took part in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid, and obtained one of the first medals with his painting "Romería en las cercanías de Santiago", which gave prestige in Madrid to the costumbrista genre, so cultivated in his time. He then traveled to Paris to complete his training, thanks to the protection of the Marquis of San Adrian, and on his return to Spain he settled in Santiago de Compostela, cultivating the landscape and painting themes of popular Galician customs. He continued his picturesque wanderings, which took him to Salamanca, where he also left numerous testimonies of popular types. In 1866 he took part again in the National, being again awarded. Currently, Dionisio Fierros is represented in the Prado Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, the Pazo Quiñones de León in Vigo, the Provincial Museum of Lugo, the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Museum of the Birthplace of Jovellanos, the Royal Sites and in several Provincial and City Councils, among others.