Ricardo de Madrazo y Garreta

RICARDO DE MADRAZO Y GARRETA (Madrid, 1852 - 1917)."Magdalena".Oil on canvas.Provenance: Lauri Collection. Sold in 1936 at the Hotel de Ventes in Lille.It has a label on the back specifying the provenance.Measurements: 65 x 54 cm; 87 x 76 cm (frame).The present work shows a neutral background, on which the bust of Mary Magdalene is presented, raising her gaze towards the sky, thus showing a gesture in ecstasy, sober and elegant. She appears with her hair loose, wearing a white tunic and a blue cloak in allusion to the purity and universality of the Catholic religion. Using a loose brushstroke, the artist creates an image of a sober, devotional nature, in which the protagonist is not the sitter, but her devout attitude. This type of execution makes the present work similar to others by Ricardo de Madrazo, such as "Carola", executed around 1879, which is in the collection of the Prado Museum in Madrid. In both works Ricardo depicts youth through a rapid execution with loose, vibrant glazes.Ricardo de Madrazo was the son of Federico and brother of Raimundo. He trained at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts, where his teachers, in addition to his own father, included Joaquín Espalter and the sculptors Ricardo Bellver and Ponciano Ponzano. In 1866 he met Mariano Fortuny, who was to become his brother-in-law and was to have a powerful influence on his style of painting. In 1868 he travelled with Fortuny to Rome, where he attended the Accademia Chigi. In 1869 he settled in Paris, where he had the opportunity to visit the studio of Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. In Paris he also devoted himself to studying the great masters, whose works are preserved in the Louvre, copying numerous paintings. The Franco-Prussian War forced him to return to Spain between 1870 and 1872, and he settled in Granada with his sister and brother-in-law. The two painters took advantage of the occasion to paint a plein air in the Alhambra and the Albaicín. Many painters attended Fortuny's house, as if it were a free academy. From there they made a trip to Morocco in the company of José Tapiró and later went to Rome. The artist's life continued to be linked to that of his brother-in-law until the latter died unexpectedly in 1874 and he had to take charge of the study, cataloguing and auction of Fortuny's works at the Drouot hotel in Paris. He then spent some time in Tangiers in the company of Tapiró and alternated his stays between Paris and Madrid, taking part alternately in the National Fine Arts Exhibitions in both capitals. In 1885 he settled permanently in Madrid, travelling annually to Venice and Paris. From that year onwards, following the family tradition, he specialised in landscape and portrait painting. His Madrid studio was frequented by artists ranging from Queen María Cristina to Archer Milton Huntington, Lázaro Galdiano, Durand-Ruel and William Howard Taft, who commissioned him to paint The Parnassus. His extensive knowledge of antiquity made him a valuable artistic advisor to important Spanish and American collectors.