José Benlliure

JOSÉ BENLLIURE GIL (Valencia, 1855–1937).
"In the Basilica of Assisi."
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 23 x 32 cm; 32.5 x 42.5 cm (frame).
José Benlliure focused on genre scenes and portraiture. In this particular work, we are presented with a scene inside the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The scene plays with light and shadow, thereby creating various spaces. The main part of the painting frames the left side of the composition, while the secondary scene is relegated to the background, as if we were stepping into the interior of the basilica against the nearly black backdrop. It is no coincidence that the scene is set in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, since he went from being the son of a wealthy merchant in the city during his youth to living in the strictest poverty and observance of the Gospels. His religious life was austere and simple, and he encouraged his followers to do the same. In short, this is a work of exceptional detail, in which every face, every architectural element, and every detail is rendered with meticulous precision.
José Benlliure began his artistic studies under Francisco Domingo in Valencia, later continuing his training in Madrid, where he settled in 1869. From an early age, he enjoyed the patronage of the King of Savoy, and in 1879 he moved to Rome, where he was discovered by the prominent art dealer Martin Colnaghi, who financed his studies in the city. In 1897, he undertook several trips to Tangier, Algeria, and Morocco, where he captured the everyday life of the places he visited through a realistic, luminous, and fluid style of painting. Beginning in 1900, his work depicted popular themes. 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. Between 1904 and 1912, he served as director of the Spanish Academy in Rome. 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.