Marceliano Santa Maria

MARCELIANO SANTA MARIA (Burgos, 1866-Madrid, 1952).
"Rest".1890
Oil on canvas adhered to cardboard.
Signed and located in Burgos.
Measurements: 30 x 35 cm; 48 x 53 x 7 cm (frame).

"Rest" shows a costumbrista scene treated with the warm and expressive realism typical of Marceliano Santa Maria, where the popular figure appears modeled with naturalness and the landscape is constructed by means of a pasty and nuanced brushstroke, characteristic of his first stage and of his inclination to integrate figure and environment.

Marceliano Santa María was one of the main representatives of Spanish academic realism, noted for his Castilian landscapes, portraits and history painting; he trained in Burgos, Madrid and Rome thanks to a provincial pension. Among his most important merits are the medal obtained at the International Exposition of Madrid and the Universal Exposition of Chicago for The Triumph of the Holy Cross, as well as the Medal of Honor at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1934 and the Extraordinary Gold Medal of the Circle of Fine Arts in 1943, being also director of the School of Arts and Crafts in Madrid. His work is preserved in the Marceliano Santa María Museum in Burgos, in the museums of Modern and Municipal Art in Madrid and Barcelona, in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, in the Army Museum in Toledo, in the Camón Aznar Foundation in Zaragoza and in numerous public and private collections in Spain, Europe and America.