Ángel Lizcano Monedero

ÁNGEL LIZCANO MONEDERO (Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real, 1846 - Leganés, Madrid, 1929).
"Scene from Don Quixote.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 49 x 79 cm; 68 x 98 cm (frame).
he subject of Don Quixote was very approached in the XVIII century, already from a clearly contemporary point of view, far from the comic vision popularized by the French in the previous century. The works fall within the framework of the rise of regionalism during the second half of the 18th century and the first third of the 19th century. This period saw the development of an art of romantic heritage, costumbrista and of realistic and meticulous workmanship, which focused on the representation of subjects, themes and characters that reflect a new sense of folklore. In this context, the painters sought to reflect the types and customs of their own land, which made it different and unique, thus vindicating their own roots and, above all, the traditions and ways of dressing and behaving that were threatened by the notable growth of urban areas and the imposition of new fashions brought from outside. Art, fundamentally in its pictorial aspect, thus becomes in a certain way a vehicle of expression capable of making regional peculiarities known to the rest of the nation.
Ángel Lizcano entered the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid at the age of fourteen, where he had Francisco Mendoza as his teacher. During his years of apprenticeship he made numerous visits to the Prado Museum, where he made copies of the great masters. In 1869 he obtained a pension to complete his training in Italy. He traveled the Spanish geography taking sketches from life and painting landscapes and genre scenes, specializing in themes of majas and bullfighters. He also cultivated the historical genre to be able to compete in the National Exhibitions, where he obtained third medals in 1876 and 1878, and second in 1881 and 1887. He participated in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878 and was also dedicated to the illustration of books and magazines. In 1929 he was admitted to the asylum of Leganés, where he died shortly after. He is represented in the Prado Museum and in the Fine Arts Museums of Oviedo, Seville, Valencia, Jaen and Alcazar de San Juan.