Ricardo Manzanet

RICARDO MANZANET MILLÁN (Valencia, 1852–1931).
"Seascape."
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 38 x 73 cm; 51 x 86 cm (frame).
In this painting, Ricardo Manzanet captures a subjective view of nature, influenced by Romanticism. He chooses a turbulent, stormy day, seeking a cold, twilight-like, and mysterious atmosphere that imbues nature with a special lyricism. There is a sense of spatial depth. In the foregrounds, Manzanet’s brushwork is dense and precise, and he constructs forms based on a rich and varied color palette, as well as on subtle and carefully studied shifts in light and shadow.
A distinguished landscape painter and flower painter, Manzanet trained at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in his hometown, then completed his studies in Barcelona at the Sant Jordi School. Although he specialized in landscape painting, he also worked in the portrait genre. He held several exhibitions and participated in art competitions and contests such as the 1888 Barcelona Fine Arts Exhibition and the National Exhibitions in Madrid, at one of which he was awarded third prize.