Ricardo de Madrazo y Garreta

RICARDO DE MADRAZO Y GARRETA (Madrid, 1852 - 1917)
"Portrait of a lady", 1882.
Oil on canvas.
Presents dedication in the lower area: "To the best of my friends Mr. D. José Pellicer".
Signed, dated and located (Barcelona).
Measurements: 55.5 x 40.5 cm: 84 x 68 cm (frame).
The canvas represents a half-length woman, dressed in a dark dress adorned with trimmings and a blue ribbon on the neck that introduces a delicate chromatic contrast to the sobriety of the clothing.
The figure is conceived with great naturalism: the face, softly illuminated, conveys a restrained, almost melancholic expression. The mastery of chiaroscuro highlights the volume of the face and the density of the clothing, while the neutral background, in earthy and greenish tones, helps to focus attention on the model, stripping the scene of superfluous narrative elements.
The dedication inscribed in the lower right corner, "To the best of my friends Mr. José Pellicer", adds a personal and social key to the portrait: it is not only a commissioned work, but also an affective gesture that reflects the links between the painter and the circle of intellectuals and collectors of his time. Possibly, the lady portrayed belongs to the close circle of that friend, which adds a commemorative nuance to the painting.
Ricardo de Madrazo was Federico's son and Raimundo's brother. He studied at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts, where his teachers, in addition to his own father, were Joaquín Espalter and the sculptors Ricardo Bellver and Ponciano Ponzano. In 1866 he met Mariano Fortuny, who would become his brother-in-law and would have a powerful influence on his pictorial style. In 1868 he traveled with Fortuny to Rome, where he attended the Academia Chigi. In 1869 he settled in Paris, where he had the opportunity to visit the workshop of Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. In Paris he also devoted himself to studying the great masters, whose works are preserved in the Louvre, copying numerous paintings. The Franco-Prussian War forced him to return to Spain between 1870 and 1872, and he settled in Granada with his sister and brother-in-law. The two painters took advantage of the occasion to paint a plein air in the Alhambra and the Albaicín. Many painters came to Fortuny's house, as if it were a free academy. From there they made a trip to Morocco in the company of José Tapiró and later went to Rome. The artist's life continued to be linked to that of his brother-in-law until the latter died unexpectedly in 1874 and he had to take charge of the study, cataloguing and auction of Fortuny's works, held at the Drouot Hotel in Paris. Afterwards, he spent some seasons in Tangier in company of Tapiró, and alternated his stays between Paris and Madrid, participating alternatively in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts of both capitals. In 1885 he settled definitively in Madrid, traveling annually to Venice and Paris. From that year on, following the family tradition, he specialized in landscape and portrait painting. His Madrid studio was visited by Queen Maria Cristina, Archer Milton Huntington, Lázaro Galdiano, Durand-Ruel and William Howard Taft, who commissioned him to paint The Parnassus. His extensive knowledge of antiquity made him a valuable artistic advisor to important Spanish and American collectors.