Antonio Casanova

ANTONIO CASANOVA Y ESTORACH (Tortosa, Tarragona, 1847 - Paris, 1896).
"Playing the lute", Paris.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated and located in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 35 x 24.5 cm; 56.5 x 48.5 cm (frame).

Painter framed within the romantic costumbrismo, Antonio Casanova y Estorach began his training in the study of José Planella and the School of La Lonja in Barcelona. In the latter he was a disciple of Claudio Lorenzale, Pablo Milá Fontanals and Ramón Martí Alsina. Pensioned in Madrid, he completed his studies there at the School of Fine Arts of San Fernando, as a student of Federico de Madrazo and Carlos Luis Ribera. He also took advantage of his stay in the capital to make numerous copies in the Prado Museum. In 1870 the Diputación de Barcelona granted him a scholarship to further his studies in Rome, where Casanova y Estorach stayed for two years. On his return to Spain, the painter abandoned history painting and focused on the orientalist and genre themes he had discovered in the Italian capital, which would soon become his specialty. Within his production of this type, he achieved great fame with his satirical, humorous or simply costumbrist representations of ecclesiastical themes. In 1875 he left for Paris, where he settled permanently until his death. Throughout his career, Casanova y Estorach repeatedly attended the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts in Madrid, and won two second-class medals in 1883 and 1887. Likewise, he participated in the Paris Universal Exhibitions of 1878 and 1889, obtaining a third medal in the latter edition. After an initial stage dedicated to history painting, Casanova y Estorach evolved towards a mature style, related to Fortuny, Meissonier and F. Domingo, a brilliant painting centered on orientalist and genre themes, marked by the preciosity of his brushstroke. Currently, Antonio Casanova y Estorach is represented in the Prado Museum, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the Municipal Museum and the City Council of Tortosa.