José Rico Cejudo

JOSE RICO CEJUDO (Seville, 1864 - 1943).
"Children with melon and onions", Seville, 1934.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated and located in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 86 x 66 cm.

José Rico Cejudo was a Spanish costumbrista painter classified within the Sevillian classic school of this important current of the 19th century. Showing very young pictorial aptitudes, he entered the School of Fine Arts of Seville, where he trained with important figures such as Manuel Wssel, José García Ramos and Eduardo Cano and won his first recognition (First Prize for a work). In 1888 he received a scholarship to further his studies at the Spanish Academy in Rome. He stayed in Italy for seven years, traveling to different cities and learning as much as possible in the country. In 1895 he returned to Seville, continued working and his art received more and more recognition, which earned him the title of Academician of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel de Hungría in the city. He always maintained frequent contacts and a friendly relationship with the well-known landscape circle known as the Alcalá de Guadaira Group.As a member of the Sevillian costumbrista school, he was known for his scenes starring figures dressed in the traditional Andalusian manner in courtyards, interiors, streets and gardens, with an abundance of Sevillian locations and a certain frequency of religious celebrations (processions...). However, he also worked on portraiture, and was a writer of short novels, author of scholarly articles on archaeology and art for his city's newspapers, etc. Also, during his stay in Italy and afterwards, he made some works with more classicist themes and was also known for his seascapes and landscapes.