Santiago Rebull

SANTIAGO REBULL (Mexico City, Mexico, 1829 - 1902).
"In the stable", 1867.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated on the back.
Measurements: 47 x 56.5 cm, 56 x 65 cm (frame).

Santiago Rebull was one of the most relevant figures of the Mexican academicism of the XIX century and one of the main representatives of the academic painting in Mexico during the period of consolidation of the Academy of San Carlos. He began his artistic training in that institution, where he stood out early for his talent in drawing and painting, which allowed him to obtain a scholarship to continue his studies in Europe.

Between 1852 and 1855 he lived in Rome, where he was a disciple of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a decisive experience that profoundly marked his artistic language. From Ingres he inherited the cult of precise drawing, the classical ideal of form and compositional rigor, elements that would define all his later production. Upon his return to Mexico, Rebull became a central figure in the artistic life of the country, combining his creative activity with intense teaching.

He was professor and later director of the San Carlos Academy, playing a fundamental role in the formation of several generations of Mexican artists. His work includes historical painting, portraits, genre scenes and studies from life, always characterized by a meticulous execution, a solid anatomical knowledge and a clear didactic vocation. Rebull embodies the ideal of the academic artist of the 19th century in Mexico, committed to technical excellence and the institutionalization of the plastic arts in the country.