Antonio Canovas

ANTONIO CANOVAS DEL CASTILLO Y VALLEJO ( Madrid, 1862 - 1933).
Untitled.
Oil on canvas.
Presents restorations.
It has an informative label on the back.
Signed in the lower right corner "Vascano".
Measurements: 76 x 117 cm; 113 x 155 cm (frame).
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo Vallejo was an outstanding photographer, writer and art critic, nephew of the politician of the same name. Although he graduated in law, he devoted himself to the arts from a young age, training in painting with Carlos de Haes and publishing literary and essayistic works.
His photographic career began in 1899 and soon gained recognition in national and international competitions. In 1904 he founded the Kaulak Gallery in Madrid, specializing in portraits of high society and the monarchy. He directed the magazine La Fotografía (1901-1913), promoting photography as an art form comparable to painting. He was the author of the manual La fotografía moderna (1914) and lecturer at the Ateneo de Madrid.
He received important distinctions, such as the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic. His studio was destroyed by fire in 1930, and he died in 1933. He always defended the aesthetic value of photography, leaving a notable mark on the visual history of the Spain of his time.