Casimiro Sainz

CASIMIRO SAINZ Y SAIZ (Matamorosa, Santander, 1853 - Madrid, 1898).
"Washerwomen in the river".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner and on the back.
Presents restorations on the back and some holes.
Measurements: 42 x 71 cm.

At the age of thirteen, Sainz is sent to Madrid, to work as an apprentice in the commerce of his brother-in-law. There he receives his first drawing classes. Due to physical problems he will be unable to work, and returns to his hometown. Shortly after, thanks to a scholarship from the Diputación de Santander, he returns to Madrid and enters the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where his teachers were first Palmaroli and later Carlos de Haes. He then began to make himself known through the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, and in 1876 he was awarded the third medal. He was again awarded in 1881, this time with a second medal, but that same year he was forced to return to Santander, again for health reasons. Once he recovered, he settled again in Madrid in 1884, and that year he took part in the Exhibition of the Society of Writers and Artists, where his work was praised by the critics. During these years he continued to participate in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, and in 1890 he was again awarded a second medal. Some years later, in 1899, the Círculo de Bellas Artes organized an important exhibition of his works. Casimiro Sainz starts from a precious and interior painting, in his formative years, probably influenced by Palmaroli. These are works of small format, eminently bourgeois, still with a matte appearance, with lighting still contained. Little by little his painting became brighter, without leaving the gallant and interior themes, although he also painted outstanding portraits during these years (1874-1881). From 1877, however, there is a predominance of exterior painting, as a result of the influence of Carlos de Haes. There is still a preciosist treatment, but he paints outdoors. Together with his companions, Sáinz looked for outdoor corners of Madrid to draw inspiration from: the Retiro, the Botanical Garden and, especially, the banks of the Manzanares River. In these works a late-Romantic reminiscence can be noticed, based on the treatment of light and supported by the human presence and the meticulous technique. However, soon his technique will become more attractively fluid and, above all, endowed with a great luminous clarity, more clearly modern. Thus, Sáinz finally ended up in a fully modern naturalism, which he did not exercise continuously, however, since he would occasionally return to his original preciosity. His mature works will be characterized by the freedom of the brushstroke and the absolute clarity of light; light no longer offers any secrets for Sáinz. This period, undoubtedly the artist's most complete, was drastically affected by the acute outbreak of dementia he suffered in 1881. When he recovered, from 1884 onwards he developed a fully naturalistic work, an evolution of his previous period, totally mature and dominated by an excellent technique and an absolute mastery of light. Casimiro Sáinz is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of Santander, La Coruña and Córdoba, the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Municipal Museum of Madrid, among others.