Maximino Peña Muñoz

MAXIMINO PEÑA MUÑOZ (Salduero, Soria, 1863 - Madrid, 1940).
Untitled.
Oil on canvas.
It has slight damage to the pictorial surface.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 100 x 81 cm.
When he was a child Peña moved to Argentina to work with his uncle Felipe Muñoz. There he began his artistic training in the workshop of the painter Blanco Aguirre, who recommended him to enter the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. After studying at the academy, he continued his apprenticeship in Rome, where he moved in 1885. There he frequented the workshops of, among others, José Benlliure and Joaquín Sorolla. From Rome he sent a work to the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1887, which was awarded a third medal. On his return to Madrid he participates in the decoration of the basilica of San Francisco el Grande, as well as in the activities of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, becoming a member of its board of directors. Since then his recognition increases, as well as the awards, such as the first medal awarded to him at the National Exhibition of 1912. His production was very extensive, and he excelled especially in the pastel technique. Works by Maximino Peña are currently kept in the Prado Museum and in the Fine Arts Museums of Zaragoza and Pamplona.