José Benlliure

JOSÉ BENLLIURE GIL (Valencia, 1855–1937).
"Fantasia," Rome.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 73 x 100 cm; 108 x 132 cm (frame).

Although José Benlliure achieved widespread recognition for his genre and religious paintings, one of the most original and imaginative aspects of his work was developed during his years at the studio on Via Margutta in Rome. There he created an extraordinary body of fantastical compositions inspired by the supernatural, covens, and visions of hell, in which he displayed an unusual creative freedom and a surprising ability to construct scenes of great dramatic intensity. Works such as *The Vision of the Colosseum* (1885) are among the most outstanding examples of this facet of his art, in which Symbolism, the Romantic tradition, and popular imagery surrounding superstition and the underworld converge.

This composition presents a powerful apocalyptic vision centered on a tumultuous crowd of souls in torment, skeletons, monstrous creatures, and spectral figures enveloped in an atmosphere of intense dramatic tension. Dominating the upper part of the scene is a winged demon, surrounded by a glowing reddish halo, playing a violin—evoking the iconography of the legendary Devil’s Trill and infernal music as a metaphor for seduction, condemnation, and the inexorable fate of souls. Around him, the space unfolds in a whirlwind of convulsing bodies and desperate gestures, where, on the left, a ghostly-looking female figure dressed in white stands out, swept along by the crowd, while, on the right, skeletons and the damned intensify the scene’s visionary and Dantesque character. The vibrant brushwork, the pronounced chiaroscuro, and the wealth of expressive techniques place the work among the most notable examples of Benlliure’s fantastical oeuvre.

The brother of painter Juan Antonio and sculptor Mariano, José Benlliure focused on genre scenes and portraiture. He began his artistic studies under Francisco Domingo in Valencia, later continuing his training in Madrid, where he settled in 1869. In 1879, he moved to Rome, where he served as director of the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts from 1903 to 1913. In 1897, he traveled to Tangier, Algeria, and Morocco, where he produced brighter, freer works influenced by Impressionism. Beginning in 1900, his work depicted popular themes. He was an honest and sensitive painter, and his works on popular themes—such as the one presented here, with scenes rendered in a direct and spontaneous manner—were particularly notable. He participated in the National Fine Arts Exhibitions, winning third-place medals in the 1876 and 1878 editions and first place in the 1887 edition. He was a member of the Academies of San Fernando (Madrid), San Lucas (Rome), San Carlos (Valencia), Brera (Milan), and Munich. The most significant part of his body of work is preserved in Valencia, at his House-Museum and at the San Pío V Museum of Fine Arts. His works are also represented at the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the Palace of Charles V in Granada, among others.