Salvador Sánchez-Barbudo Morales

SALVADOR SÁNCHEZ-BARBUDO MORALES, (Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, 1857 - Rome, 1917).
"The baptism", Rome.
Oil on panel.
Signed and located in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 20 x 28 cm; 38.50 x 46 cm (frame).

This work of Salvador Sánchez Barbudo, created during his stay in Rome, reflects a moment of transition and artistic maturity in the painter's life. During his Roman period, Sánchez Barbudo immersed himself deeply in the study of the great Renaissance and Baroque masters, which significantly influenced his style and technique. This work, in particular, is a clear example of his ability to combine meticulous observation with a precious technique, typical of his artistic maturity.

The scene depicted in the painting shows a baptism, carried out inside a church of classical architecture, where both the details of the characters and the decorative elements of the religious environment stand out. Sánchez Barbudo uses a short and precise brushstroke to capture the light and texture of the elements present: the delicate fabric of the dresses, the architectural details and the softness of the skins. The short, almost pointillist brushstroke technique allows for a meticulous treatment of the surfaces, giving the work an almost tangible atmosphere. The precious approach that characterizes this painting translates into an exquisite attention to detail, not only in the human figures, but also in the architecture of the space. The church, although austere in its forms, is rich in nuances of light and shadow, suggesting the influence of the great masters of the Baroque, such as Caravaggio, whom Sánchez Barbudo may have studied during his stay in the Eternal City.

Formally, the work shows a balance between elegance of color and precision in the representation of volumes. The figures are modeled with a high degree of naturalism, which reflects the painter's technical evolution. Throughout his stay in Rome, Sánchez Barbudo developed a deep admiration for the details in the works of Renaissance artists, and this baptism is a clear reflection of his ability to merge the academic tradition with a personal vision, characterized by subtlety in the representation of light and color.

Interested in drawing and painting from an early age, Sánchez-Barbudo began his training in the workshop of the restorer Pedro Vera. At the age of nineteen he moved to Seville to study at the Provincial School of Fine Arts, thanks to the support of his protector and patron, the Marquis del Castillo, and there he became a disciple of Jose Villegas. In 1878 he traveled to Madrid to further his education, remaining in the capital for four years. In 1881 he took part in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts and was awarded a third class medal for his work "Un salón de esgrima". The following year he went to Rome with his master. Due to the influence of the latter, and given that Villegas was a friend of Rosales, Fortuny, Zamacois and others, as well as a painter with a magnificent clientele (Vanderbilt, Stuard, Krupp...), Sánchez-Barbudo began to work in the fashionable genre, the costumbrista historicism (known as "casacones"). Fascinated by the artistic environment of the Italian capital, Sánchez-Barbudo decided to settle down and, from then on, to make the city the protagonist of his painting. He cultivated, in addition to the themes of casacones, the scenes of high society and the landscape, in paintings of small format, and stood out in a special way in the portrait. Occasionally he sent works to the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts in Madrid. In 1884 he sent to Spain the monumental canvas entitled "Hamlet. Last scene", with which he won a second medal at the National Exhibition of the same year. He exported his works especially to England, where his historicist costumbrismo paintings were extraordinarily well received, and he himself enjoyed a reputation as an exquisite painter. Sánchez-Barbudo demonstrates in his works a perfect mastery of the basics of the genre: a wise combination of bourgeois naturalism and loose-fitting preciosity. His brushstroke is fast and precise, and he brings to the chromatism a totally personal vibration and variety. He worked with small touches, both in the figures and in the scenery, paying special attention to the atmosphere. He was also an excellent watercolorist and engraver.