Antonio Reyna

ANTONIO REYNA (Coín, Málaga, 1859 - Rome, 1937).
"View of Santa Maria Misericordia of Venice".
Oil on canvas glued to tablex.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 35 x 75 cm; 50 x 90 cm (frame).
In this painting by Antonio Reyna Manescau, we are offered a luminous and evocative view of the Campo della Abazia della Misericordia, captured from the sotoportego Molin in Venice. Reyna, faithful to his refined, naturalistic-academic style, constructs a vibrant scene that oscillates between everyday serenity and architectural monumentality, bathed in the clear, bright light that characterizes his treatment of the lagoon city.
The composition is organized around the axis of the canal, which acts as the backbone of the perspective and allows the viewer to visually enter the heart of the scene. To the right rises the imposing Abbey of Mercy, whose Romanesque brick façade contrasts with the classicist ornamentation of the annex building. The chiaroscuro on the walls, treated with loose but precise brushstrokes, gives volume and depth, while the vegetation and flowers falling from the cornice of the central building provide a chromatic counterpoint of great lyricism.
The scene is animated by small characters distributed in a balanced way: figures walking, talking, rowing or simply resting by the water. These human presences, far from interrupting the architectural protagonism, reinforce the experiential and narrative character of the image, reminding us that Venice is both a historical setting and an inhabited space.
Reyna demonstrates here his mastery in the handling of the Venetian atmosphere, that incessant play of reflections and sparkles on the water that dissolve the contours and merge sky, stone and canal into a harmonious visual unity. The palette is clear, with golden, blue and earthy tones that evoke the warmth of the humid air and the melancholic stillness of the place. All this without falling into empty idealization, but maintaining a descriptive rigor that places this work between the genre painting and the cultured landscape painting of the late nineteenth century.
Antonio Reyna Manescau was one of the most outstanding Andalusian landscape painters of the 19th century. He began his artistic training at the School of Fine Arts in Malaga, with masters such as Joaquín Martínez de la Vega and Bernardo Ferrándiz. His precocious talent and his mastery of color and composition led him to obtain a pension in 1882 to study in Italy, where he settled permanently, especially in Rome and Venice.
In Rome he met Spanish artists such as Villegas and participated in circles such as the Café Greco. In Venice, a city that fascinated him, he developed a good part of his production, standing out for his "vedute" - urban landscapes - of small format, made with great precision, chromatic variety and agile brushstrokes. His style, influenced by the precious landscape painting of Martín Rico, had a notable international projection, especially in London.
He was awarded the third class medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1887 for his work Floralia and received the cross of knight of the order of Carlos III in 1895. In 1911 he successfully exhibited in Rome his painting Rancho Andaluz, inspired by his native Malaga. He also cultivated portraiture, as evidenced by his paintings of Pope Benedict XV.
After his death, his work has been revalued, highlighting the anthological exhibition held in Malaga in 2009 for the 150th anniversary of his birth. Currently, he has a museum dedicated to his figure in his hometown, Coín.