Fernando Martínez Checa

FERNANDO MARTÍNEZ CHECA (Requena, Valencia, 1858 - Baeza, Jaén, 1933).
Pair of "Flowers".
Oil on canvas.
Signed.
Measurements: 89 x 50 cm., 97 x 58 cm. (frame). each one.
Each one of the oil paintings shows a very elaborated and studied composition, formed by wild flowers placed by little more than neutral colors. The brushstroke, soft but prominent, brings life to the two paintings, while the color completely dominates the drawing, which is barely present in either of the two compositions. It is necessary to emphasize the mastery of the painter, able to show clearly to which species the plants belong without resorting to the detail and the study of qualities of the more traditional line painting.
Known as the painter of flowers, Checa specialized in this type of painting, which he executed both in oil and watercolor. His teaching work was also noteworthy, which he carried out in Huelva, where he maintained a private painting academy until 1907, in Requena and Baeza. He promoted the creation of the School of Arts and Industries of Requena, of which he would later become director; he was a member of the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando and professor at the Institute of Baeza, and was awarded the Cross of Alfonso XII. He participated in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts of 1904, where he received an honorary mention. Fernando Martínez Checa is represented in the Provincial Museums of Jaén and Huelva, and in the Zabaleta of Quesada.