Retrato en grupo

Eduardo Chicharro y Agüera was a Spanish painter known above all for his female figures and portraits, painted with strong colour and a decorative sense of pattern. He also took on history and religious subjects, and his large figure compositions won major prizes at the Spanish national exhibitions. Born in Madrid, he studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and in the circle of Joaquín Sorolla. He won first-class medals for The Poem of Arminda and Rinaldo in 1904 and The Three Wives in 1908. From 1912 to 1925 he directed the Spanish Academy in Rome, and he later taught in Madrid and directed the School of Arts and Crafts. His nudes and forest scenes show his interest in bright light on skin and foliage. Look at how he balances a solid, well-drawn figure against a looser, colourful background.