Ulpiano Checa

ULPIANO CHECA Y SANZ (Colmenar de Oreja, Madrid, 1860 - Dax, France, 1916).
"Shepherdess of goats".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
With label on the back of Barrachina & Ramoneda.
Measurements: 61 x 48,5 cm; 46 x 64 cm (frame).

Ulpiano Checa's painting is one of the most dynamic and spectacular proposals of the Spanish art of the end of the XIX century. His style is a unique amalgam of academicism, late romanticism and incipient impressionism. The pastoral scene in bidding stands out for its marked bucolic character, manifested in a luminous atmosphere bathed by the golden tones of the sunset. The composition transcends the mere technical description to offer an idealized vision of the countryside, where the rural motif is approached from a viewpoint of dignification and exaltation of the peasant class.

Ulpiano Checa, trained at the Academy of San Fernando and a pensioner in Rome, was an internationally successful artist who consolidated his career in Paris and the south of France, standing out for a production deeply influenced by literature and the great historical deeds. Beyond his academic virtuosity and his awards in national and European competitions, his legacy transcended the canvas to become the visual precursor of Hollywood's epic cinema; his mastery of mass composition, the use of deep perspectives and extreme dynamism inspired the scenery and costumes of blockbusters such as Ben-Hur, Spartacus and Gladiator. With work present in prestigious institutions such as the Museo del Prado or the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, Checa remains a key figure whose aesthetics defined the collective imaginary of the classical world in the 20th century.