José Montenegro

JOSÉ MONTENEGRO CAPELL (Cádiz, 1865 - Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, 1929).
"Village with shepherd and watering place".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 58 x 70 cm; 70 x 82 cm (frame).
Jose Montenegro was born in Cadiz, being a mystery his formation, the contacts maintained with other artists or the exact year in which he arrived to Jerez. His life is surrounded by a halo of legend, and in fact the people have invented a thousand stories around his figure, considering him a new Velázquez. He focused his production on the Andalusian costumbrista landscape, with special attention to the Hispano-Muslim architectures, taking his models mainly from Cadiz, Jerez and Seville. His style shows a certain influence of the so-called School of Rome, although with a marked regionalist accent. Montenegro arrived in Jerez attracted by the work possibilities that were open to him in a prosperous place full of bourgeoisie enriched by the wine trade. However, he would soon become a true exponent of local bohemia at the beginning of the 20th century. Eternally drunk and dressed in black, he sold paintings at very low prices in order to buy alcohol and some food. He finally died in the Santa Isabel Hospital in Cadiz in 1929, due to a liver problem. Montenegro is currently represented in numerous private collections, mainly in Jerez de la Frontera, where he is still highly appreciated today.