José de Madrazo y Agudo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) José de Madrazo,Self-portrait, c.1840 | |
| Born | José de Madrazo y Agudo 22 April 1781 |
| Died | 8 May 1859 Madrid, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Education | Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando;Jacques-Louis David, Paris;Accademia di San Luca, Rome |
| Known for | Painter, etcher and lithographer; Director of the Prado Museum; Art collector |
| Movement | Neoclassical |
| Spouse | Isabel Kuntze (daughter of artistTadeusz Kuntze) |
José de Madrazo y Agudo (22 April 1781 – 8 May 1859) was a Spanish painter and engraver; one of the primary exponents of theNeoclassical style in Spain. He was the patriarch of a family of artists that included his sonsFederico andLuis; and his grandsons,Raimundo andRicardo.
He was born inSantander, and began his studies at theReal Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando withGregorio Ferro, a student ofAnton Raphael Mengs. After 1803, he studied in Paris withJacques-Louis David. Following David's advice, he applied for and received a government stipend to study in Rome.[1]
In 1806 he went to Rome, where he completed his training at theAccademia di San Luca and studied Classical art. While there, he had some initial success with his rendering of the death ofViriatus. He also refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new government of KingJoseph I. As a result, he and the other Spanish artists living in Rome were effectively held prisoner at theCastel Sant'Angelo.[2] There, he got to know the exiled KingCarlos IV and his wife,María Luisa de Borbón.
In 1809, he married Isabel Kuntze (?–1866), daughter of the painterTadeusz Kuntze, who was also staying in Rome. In 1812, King Carlos IV arrived in Rome and brought Madrazo into his circle, also buyingLa muerte de Lucrecia, a painting he had rejected only a few years previously. The king also commissioned Madrazo to copy several old paintings.[2] That same year Madrazo also painted a portrait ofManuel Godoy, and the following year, portraits ofGodoy's wife and children.[2]
He lost this position in 1815 when the troops ofJoachim Murat entered thePapal States in an effort to unify Italy under French control, prompting King Carlos to abandon his exile.
In 1818, after theRestoration, he returned to Madrid with his paintings. Once there, he occupied himself by arranging and cataloguing the collection at the newly established Real Museo de Pinturas y Esculturas (now theMuseo del Prado), on behalf of KingFernando VII. The catalog included lithographs of the paintings, marking the first major use of this technique in Spain.[1]
In 1823, he was appointed Director of theReal Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and, in 1838, became Director of theMuseo del Prado; a position he held until 1857 when he resigned in the face of some Royal criticism.[1] He died inMadrid, aged 78, having amassed a large private art collection, which later passed into the hands of theMarqués de Salamanca and, after his death in 1883, became dispersed.[3]
Madrazo focused on religious and historical themes and, together withJosé Aparicio, helped to establish a movement devoted to patriotic art. His later works were often criticized for being emotionally cold and excessively grandiloquent.[citation needed]
The Madrazo family have been described as one of the most important painting dynasties in 19th-century Spain.[4] His sons wereFederico de Madrazo, a painter;Luis de Madrazo, a painter;Pedro de Madrazo, an art critic andJuan de Madrazo, an architect; while his grandsons wereRaimundo de Madrazo y Garreta, a painter andRicardo de Madrazo, also a painter. His granddaughterCecilia de Madrazo married the celebrated artistMariano Fortuny.[5]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
