Lot 4: Julio Romero de Torres (Spanish, 1874-1930)

Carmen y Fuensanta
signed 'Julio Romero de Torres-' (lower centre)
oil on canvas
68 1/2 x 42 7/8 in. (174 x 109 cm.)

Bilbao, Julio Romero de Torres, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 7 October 2002 - 26 January 2003.

Exhibition catalogue, Julio Romero de Torres, Bilbao, 2002, p. 268 (illustrated p. 269).

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

Julio Romero de Torres focused upon subjects based upon folklore, and in particular 'la mujer morena' for which he is best known. He began to paint under the instruction of his father, the well-known Andalucian artist and teacher, Rafael Romero Barros, director of the Fine Arts Museum in Córdoba. During the early years of his development, Romero de Torres was exposed to the emergence of Realism, Impressionism and Symbolism, giving rise to an inspired style in which he combined the Realist traditions of Gustave Courbet and Mariano Fortuny, the photographic portraiture of Federico de Madrazo, and Impressionism, introduced to Spain by Aureliano de Beruete, Dario de Regoyos and perfected by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida. These formative years were marked by his contributions to the 1895 National Exhibition, winning a mention of honour, as well as to those of 1899 and 1904, winning third class medals.

As his reputation was confirmed as one of Spain's most recognised artists of the era, he moved to Madrid to study and to reassess his artistic output. Travelling to Italy, France, England and the Netherlands he acquired a more profound symbolist slant, that was to define his style. This newly acquired style bore its first fruit in the National Exhibition of the Fine Arts in 1908, with Musa Gitana (El Museo de Romero de Torres, Córdoba), with a first class gold medal. He also presented El Amor sagrado y el amor profano in this contest and Nuestra Señora de Andalucia, which was highly praised by Ramón de Valle-Inclán. A little later, in the 1908 National Exhibition in Madrid, he won another first class medal and further successes at the International Exhibition of Barcelona. Following these achievements, he represented his country at numerous major international exhibitions.

Carmen y Fuensanta is an exceptional example of how well the artist painted the Andalucian 'mujer morena'. This work uses two of his favourite models; statuesque and feminine, firm and calm with cool but inviting gazes. It is set within a frame against the backdrop of the somewhat barren Andalucian landscape complete with typical Southern Spanish oranges so often found in his works. Although wholly realistic, at the same time the oranges are also imbued with symbolic references, for orange trees within Catholic religious iconography, were used to symbolise purity, chastity and generosity and to represent the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Paradise. The composition is striking and inviting with Carmen with her back towards us, her strong profile and the back of her neck and womanly figure emphasised by the artist's long brushstrokes and draped in a rich red shawl. Fuensanta looks alluringly to the viewer with her dark engaging Andalucian eyes, red cheeks and lips.

Having once described himself as 'a painter from the soul of Andalucia', Romero de Torres brought his portraits to life with a sense of human reality. Each one of his works evokes an atmosphere of legend and a profound sentimentality of an idealised Córdoba that appealed to his contemporaries from the humble working classes to the Córdoban aristocracy; a testament to the great popularity that he earned.

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