Fernando Martínez Checa

FERNANDO MARTÍNEZ CHECA (Requena, Valencia, 1858 – Baeza, Jaén, 1933).
Pair of “Flowers.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed.
In need of restoration.
Measurements: 71 x 30 cm, 79 x 39 cm (frame) each.

Known as the painter of flowers, Checa specialized in this type of painting, which he executed in both oil and watercolor. His work as a teacher was also notable; he taught in Huelva, where he ran a private painting academy until 1907, as well as in Requena and Baeza. He promoted the founding of the Requena School of Arts and Industries, of which he would later become director; he was a member of the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts and a professor at the Baeza High School, and was awarded the Cross of Alfonso XII. He participated in the 1904 National Fine Arts Exhibition, where he received an honorable mention. Works by Fernando Martínez Checa are on display at the Provincial Museums of Jaén and Huelva, and at the Zabaleta Museum in Quesada.