Francisco Pradilla Ortiz

FRANCISCO PRADILLA ORTIZ (Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, 1848 - Madrid, 1921).
"Bullfighting".
Watercolor on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 16 x 23,5 cm; 43,5 x 51,5 cm (frame).

Francisco Pradilla began his artistic formation with the scenographer Mariano Pescador and in the School of Fine Arts of Zaragoza, completing it in the School of San Fernando of Madrid under masters like Madrazo, Haes and Ribera. During these years he made copies in the Prado Museum, which strengthened his technique. In 1874 he was awarded the Drawing Prize of La Ilustración Española y Americana and a scholarship to Rome, where he lived for twenty-three years. His consecration came in 1878 when he received the Medal of Honor at the National Exhibition in Madrid and at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, which led to numerous international commissions. Throughout his career he traveled throughout Spain and cultivated genre scenes with great mastery of drawing and color, although his greatest fame came from history painting. He participated in numerous group exhibitions in Europe and America, and held important positions as director of the Prado Museum and the Spanish Academy in Rome. He was also a member of several academies and received important distinctions, among them the Cross of Isabella the Catholic and the Legion of Honor. Although his work as a portraitist was irregular, he achieved portraits of great expressiveness with vivid models. He practiced genre painting inspired by Italian themes and Spanish customs, showing a predilection for outdoor compositions with broad perspectives and numerous figures. He was especially noted for his treatment of light and atmosphere, which softened the drawing and enriched the coloring. His work is preserved in institutions such as the Prado Museum, museums in Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Havana, São Paulo, the MACBA, the Christchurch Art Gallery and the Romantic Museum, among others.