José Benlliure Gil

JOSÉ BENLLIURE GIL, (Valencia, 1855 - 1937).
"In the Basilica of Assisi".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 45.50 x 72.50 cm, 83 x 107 cm (frame).
José Benlliure cultivated the costumbrista thematic and the portrait. In the present case, we are in front of a scene in the interior of the Basilica of San Francisco de Asís. The scene plays with the light and the background, creating several spaces. The main part of the piece is the one that frames the left zone of the composition; while the secondary scene is relegated to the background as if we were entering the interior of the basilica with an almost black background. It is not arbitrary that the scene is represented in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, since he went from being the son of a rich merchant of the city in his youth, to live under the strictest poverty and observance of the Gospels. His religious life was austere and simple, so he encouraged his followers to do the same. In short, we find a piece with exceptional detail, where each face, each architecture and each detail are worked to the millimeter.
José Benlliure began his artistic studies with Francisco Domingo in Valencia, to later continue his training in Madrid, where he settled in 1869. From an early age he enjoyed the patronage of the King of Savoy and in 1879 he moved to Rome, where he was discovered by the important art dealer Martin Colnaghi, who financed his studies in the city. In 1897 he made several trips to Tangier, Algeria and Morocco where he approached through a realistic, luminous and loose painting to the daily world of the places visited. From 1900 onwards his work depicts popular themes. He took part in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, obtaining third medals in the editions of 1876 and 1878 and first in the one of 1887. He belonged to the Academies of San Fernando (Madrid), San Lucas (Rome), San Carlos (Valencia), Brera (Milan) and Munich. Between 1904 and 1912 he directed the Spanish Academy in Rome. The most important part of his production is preserved in Valencia, in his House Museum and in the Museum of Fine Arts San Pío V. He is also represented in the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Palace of Charles V in Granada, among others.