Manuel Cabral Bejarano

MANUEL CABRAL BEJARANO (Seville, 1827- Seville, 1891)
"Andalusian view".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It presents restorations.
Signed.
Measurements: 72 x 130 cm.
This Andalusian View is an example of the costumbrista landscape painting that defined the production of Manuel Cabral Bejarano, one of the main representatives of the Sevillian painting of the 19th century. A member of an outstanding lineage of artists and deeply linked to the cultural life of Seville, Cabral Bejarano was able to capture the visual identity of Andalusia like few others at a time of growing interest in the local and picturesque.
The work presents a serene and luminous river landscape, animated by scenes of daily life: boats, popular figures and agricultural activities that are naturally integrated into the environment. Beyond the anecdote, the artist constructs an idealized but plausible image of the Andalusian territory, where the harmony between nature and human presence is the protagonist.
Cabral Bejarano demonstrates here his mastery of drawing and color, with a balanced palette and a precise brushstroke that does not renounce detail. These views not only responded to the taste of the time, but also contributed to establishing a recognizable iconography of Andalusia, aimed at both the local public and collectors attracted by the romantic image of southern Spain.
Manuel Cabral y Aguado Bejarano initially trained with his father and completed his education at the Academy of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel de Hungría in Seville, an institution where he became a professor and academic. He actively participated in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts in Madrid (1858, 1860 and 1867), where he obtained honorary mention, and was named honorary painter of Queen Isabel II.
A key figure of Andalusian costumbrismo within Spanish Romanticism, he is especially recognized for his scenes of processions, pilgrimages and popular festivals, highly appreciated both in Seville and Madrid. His work is today preserved in important collections and institutions, among them the Prado Museum, the Royal Alcazars of Seville, the Romantic Museum of Madrid and the Museum of Fine Arts of Cadiz.