Luis Ricardo Falero

Luis Ricardo Falero painted luminous female nudes floating through night skies, often among stars and comets, mixing mythology, fantasy and his real interest in astronomy. His figures are smooth and pale, set against deep blue or dark backgrounds.

He was born in Granada in 1851 and first trained for the Spanish Navy before turning to art. He studied in Paris, where Gabriel Ferrier was among his teachers, and later settled in London, where he died in 1896. His best known pictures include Witches Going to Their Sabbath (1878), Twin Stars and The Marriage of a Comet. Most of his paintings are in private collections.

A Fairy Under Starry Skies is a good example of his mix of the celestial and the sensual.