José María López Mezquita

JOSÉ MARÍA LÓPEZ MEZQUITA (Granada, 1883 - Madrid, 1954) .
"Gypsy maternity".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the upper left corner.
Measurements: 102 x 76 cm.
This scene of realistic theme, where the author presents us a mother breastfeeding her child, is an example of the virtuosity of López Mezquita, in the capture of the society and in the representation of the daily life giving it a great protagonism.
An outstanding painter of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, José María López Mezquita was a full member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and honorary member of the National Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. He began his training under the guidance of José Larrocha, and in 1897 he entered the Escuela Superior de San Fernando, where he was a disciple of Cecilio Pla. Shortly after, the Infanta Isabel de Borbón granted him a scholarship that allowed him to further his studies in France, Belgium, Holland, England and Italy. Throughout his career, López Mezquita participated in numerous national and foreign exhibitions, both individual and collective, being distinguished on several occasions. In the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts of Madrid he obtained first medal in 1901 and 19010, and was a candidate for the medal of honor in the editions of 1915 and 1924. He was awarded the third medal at the Paris Salon of 1903, and the second medal at the International Exhibition of Barcelona in 1907 and at the International Exhibitions of Munich (1909) and San Francisco (1915). He was also awarded the top prize at the Buenos Aires International of 1910, the Barcelona International of 1911 and the Panama International of 1916. In 1952 he was awarded the prize of honor of the Círculo de Bellas Artes of Madrid. Among his various individual exhibitions it is worth mentioning the one held at the Hispanic Society of New York in 1926, thanks to which he was commissioned by Mr. Huntington, president of that institution, the portraits of illustrious Spanish and Latin American men, a continuation of the series made by Joaquín Sorolla between 1911 and 1919. López Mezquita is currently represented in the Prado Museum and the Fine Arts Museums of Granada and Alava, among others.