Félix Revello de Toro

FÉLIX REVELLO DE TORO (Málaga, 1926)
"Female portrait", 1969.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the upper left corner.
Measurements: 99 x 80 cm; 108 x 89 cm (frame).

This piece exemplifies the unmistakable language of an artist who exercised absolute mastery over the genre of portraiture, the Malaga-born Félix Revello de Toro. His mastery lies in the creation of sublime atmospheres, where even the neutral backgrounds -but worked in a wide palette of colors, in this case monochrome gray- acquire a poetic dimension. By means of a long brushstroke, with a forceful and sure stroke, the author displays a technical virtuosity that, supported by a palette of vibrant colors and bold hallmarks, irremediably directs the viewer's gaze towards the central figure.

Félix Revello de Toro was born in Malaga into a family with strong artistic influences, his father being a renowned drawing teacher, Jose María Revello Cazar, from whom he inherited the taste and gift of technique. He began to stand out in the artistic field at an early age; his first exhibition took place in 1938, at the age of 16 he received his first professional commission from a local brotherhood and the following year he received a scholarship to continue his training in Madrid at the Real Academia de San Fernando. In 1951 he was awarded the Carmen del Río scholarship, which allowed him to continue his training in Rome. It was from here that his work began to be recognized and he was called upon to carry out official portraits such as the gallery of mayors of the City Council of Malaga in 1970 or the first official portrait of the Prince of Asturias. In 2010 a museum dedicated to him was opened in the center of Malaga, with 117 works donated by the painter.