Rafael Monleón y Torres

RAFAEL MONLEÓN Y TORRES (Valencia, 1843 - Madrid, 1900).
"Calderón".
Oil on canvas.
Provenance; Collection don Bernardo Alonso Rentería.
Signed
Measurements: 70 x 110 cm; 92 x 131 cm (frame).
Painter and engraver, son of the architect Sebastián Monleón, Rafael Monleón y Torres was first a nautical pilot, and traveled throughout Europe before beginning his pictorial training under the guidance of the masters Carlos de Haes and Rafael Montesinos. From his youth he devoted himself exclusively to marine painting, especially representing Levantine ports. Between 1864 and 1899 he exhibited his works regularly at the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts. After the 1869 edition, in which he presented three paintings, he traveled as a pilot to the north of France, where he became acquainted with the marine paintings of the Breton painter Théodore Weber. He then went to Bruges, where he had the opportunity to become a disciple of the old master Jan Pieter Clays and to meet Belgian engravers, especially Louis Allemand, specializing in etching. On his return he continued to send works to the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, and in 1871 he was awarded a third class medal. In 1881 he won the same award again. In 1870 he was appointed painter of the Admiralty and restorer of the Naval Museum and on two occasions, in 1867 and 1879, he was awarded a gold medal at the Regional Exhibitions held in Valencia. He was also a renowned naval archaeologist, commissioned by the Government for the study, drawing up of plans and construction of the Santa María ship for the fourth centenary of the discovery of America. He was also responsible for the scientific reorganization and catalog of the Naval Museum of Madrid. Rafael Monleón is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the aforementioned Naval Museum in Madrid, the Gravina Fine Arts Museum in Alicante (MUBAG) and other public and private collections.