For art lovers

[LONDONER]

The other day I went to an exhibition of a Spanish painter who is little known outside of Spain, undeservedly so in my opinion

This was Julio Romero de Torres. He was an artist who was born in Córdoba in 1874 and who died at the comparatively early age of 55, in Córdoba in 1930 but who spent some of his life in Madrid. He was considered one of Spain's leading artists in his lifetime but some critics derided his works as cliché ridden. However, tastes change and critics are beginning to dwell on other, more relevant features of his paintings like for instance, his personal reading of symbolism and the eclectic sources of his inspiration. He caused a not inconsiderable scandal with his hyper realistic nudes (including under arm hair) and in 1906 The National Exhibition of Fine Arts banned his "Vivadoras del Amor". Difficult to translate but something along the lines of "Those Who Live by Love", errrrr..... "Prostitutes".

He is not by any means a "great" painter but I personally believe that he should be considered as one of Spain's very individual artists. He has a unique style that is unmistakable and not to be dismissed. You can see some of his paintings in the attachments where you can see how his style evolved from the unfortunately titled "Andalucían Laziness" (the best translation I can give of "Pereza andaluza) where he depicts his wife half asleep in a chair in the doorway leading on to the dazzling Córdoban patio right through to the style that he is most known for. There was one very good web page that contained very many illustrations but the text unfortunately, is only in Spanish:

http://ermundodemanue.blogspot.com.es/20...obras.html

One shouldn't think of him exclusively as a painter of dark eyed, almost mythical Córdoban beauties as seductive as they are, because, if you go almost to the end of that link, you will see some really quite fine portraits of which I particularly like the two portraits of Teresa Wilms Montt. It was interesting that many years ago I was in Córdoba with some friends and it was quite possible to see young girls who could have stepped right of one of Julio Romero de Torres' canvases so maybe they weren't quite so mythical. Not all of the photos that I have attached were in the exhibition but I have included them to give a better overall view of his works.

The one that I think I loved most of all was his "Venus of Poetry". Unfortunately I don't think the reproduction does full justice to the original. One thing that stands out in almost all his painting is his own method of depicting fabrics, those silks so seductively clinging to the model's bodies. You will see that many of his paintings contain fairly simple backgrounds, sometimes based on fact that can be identified by buildings or other landmarks, but usually just imaginary landscapes lit by early morning or late evening light that lend them almost an air of mystery.

[partisan]

Its a shame, cos to really appreciate a painting you have to see it first hand, a photo takes something away i feel, i cant really comment, im not artisticly minded, i dont understand this style or that, but if i like it, I like it, very simple. I hate most modern "art". I like realism and very large sea paintings can take my breath away, I dont like funny shapes and squiggly lines thats called art, and something made on a computer isn't art in my opinion.

[LONDONER]

Yes Partisan, I agree that a photo can never do a painting justice but that's all there is via this medium. But maybe it will sparkls someone's interest to explore further. Who knows. Here's five more.

[kokomoloko79]

Those are lovely thanks for sharing!

[LONDONER]

Thanks kokomoloko79, glad you like them.

[VileKyle]

These are some lovely paintings! I especially love how they are more realistic rather than idealistic. Idealistic paintings get boring after a while.

[LONDONER]

Which are the ones you consider realistic VileKyle?

[Merc]

Thanks for sharing these! I really like "Carmen". The emotion it projects feels incredibly authentic.

[Pix]

I've always been a fan of surrealism. My favorites are unknown street artists I've known, but if I were filthy rich I'd have a lot by Dorothea Tanning (as just one example, I think she's my favorite famous artist). (If curious then you can see her style here.) I don't know why I like it so much, it just "tickles my mind" for want of a better expression (though I did like the surreal yet still obvious metaphors about the human condition in some of the street artists I've known, and I suppose it's a similar enjoyment that I have of irony). It might be that I like Tanning so much because she uses flowers a lot, and I'm also a sucker for flower motifs (wallpaper, dishtowels, etc).

But I like all kinds of art, and I do have a fondness for seashore paintings. For some reason I like cloudy seas with choppy waters best, not sure why.

[MisterTinkles]

To me, a great artist is someone who can draw and paint the human body in an emotional state, and have it "come off" to the onlooker as what the artists wants it to "say".


That being said....(and Im taking it that all of the artwork on that webpage was his, since I cant read Spanish)....

This man was obviously a great painter, since he was excellent at painting the human figure, but they all seem to have the same expression on their faces.

I am attracted to the Pastora Imperio 1922 portrait, as this woman in a polka dot dress could be Elizabeth Taylors Spanish twin sister!



What amazes me about some of these paintings, is that it looks like the model is standing in front of a painted backdrop....almost a dimensional image standing in front of the backdrop! Maybe its just my eyes playing tricks on me, or maybe he intended it that way, to make the model stand out? For whatever reason, that is brilliant.





As Mr. Spock would say........"fascinating".