Mariano Fortuny's Collections

"Fortuny's Studio" by Ricardo de Madrazo

"The letters of Mariano Fortuny show him to us after his return to Italy,  working at his painting and always devoting his idle moments to his passion for objects of art. Having started in a relatively modest manner, Fortuny’s collecting activities expanded in the 1860s, particularly after he began to meet antique dealers, connoisseurs and collectors. During his time in Andalusia his innate taste and criteria led him to acquire Hispano-Moresque works of enormous quality.

Fortuny was attracted to a wide range of objects, particularly arms, ceramics, textiles, ivories, furniture and glass. A truly outstanding area is Islamic art, the core of his collection, while he also possessed excellent examples of the Italian and Spanish decorative arts as well as Japanese textiles, screens and prints. Fortuny’s great technical skills allowed him to work as a restorer and he even made several pieces that look antique.

"His vast studio, where he had arranged with exquisite taste, his splendid stuffs, his faiences with reflections of gold, his ancient arms, and a thousand other curious objects, made a veritable marvel of decoration, and it took rank among the sights of Rome, too often even it drew upon him troublesome visits. His installation in the adjoining villa was almost princely. He was flattered by everybody, notwithstanding that he was, as he said, 'worried without knowing why.' Was it a presentiment?"

To be continued

(Excerpted from "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885.)

Mariano Fortuny in Paris

"Fantasy on Faust" by Mariano Fortuny

"Setting out for Paris in the month of July, 1869, Mariano Fortuny was established, soon after his arrival, in the studio of Gerome, who had offered it to him during his absence. He could work to better advantage there than at M. Goupil's, who lived during the summer in the country, and had lent him his apartment situated not far off. He remained there till November.

At this period he saw Meissonier from time to time, for whose talent he had great admiration, and whom he one day asked to lend him one of his studies that he might copy it. Meissonier posed one day before his young brother in art for one of the figures in the 'Spanish Marriage,' and Fortuny made another portrait of him, the likeness of which is very striking.

He dined often with me [Charles Davillier, the author of this bio] in company with his wife, his brother-in-law and a few Spanish friends. On these occasions all etiquette was laid aside and the evening was spent in talk or in singing. Gustave Dore was sometimes of the party as also was Eduardo de Beaumont, who was to the last one of Fortuny's best friends.

Between the recitation of two rondeaus we discussed the shape of a sword or an armor of the fifteenth century. Fortuny and Beaumont changed pencils and sheets of paper were soon covered with sketches. One evening Fortuny began a portrait of another Spanish artist, Eduardo Zamacois, on a plate of copper, to teach him the process of making an etching, and finished it afterwards with a few sittings."

To be continued

Excerpted from "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885. 

Mariano Fortuny, The Spanish Marriage

"The Spanish Marriage" by Mariano Fortuny

"In 1867 Mariano Fortuny married Cecilia de Madrazo, daughter of the director of the Royal Museum. And it was while often going to the sacristy of his parish church there that the idea of his masterpiece, 'Spanish Marriage' originated.

He there made a slight sketch of it in a grayish tint, just the embryo of the picture which afterwards became so celebrated. When he and his wife returned to Rome, work on the 'Spanish Marriage' took much of his time. After the French art dealer M. Goupil had visited his atelier and saw the painting in process, Fortuny wrote a friend:

'It would seem, he is pleased with 'The Spanish Marriage.' Goupil has proposed that I should go to Paris, where he offers to build me an atelier after my own taste. He talks much of the success of my painting, etc. He says that in Rome everybody imitates me, which is disgusting, and that, under these circumstances, I ought to leave here. I will be very glad to see MWH Stewart, and you might ask him when he comes, to put a small painting by Meissonier or Stevens (if he has one), in his portmanteau, for we all wish to see good work which might improve us all.'

In creating 'The Spanish Marriage' Fortuny borrowed his background from different churches: the railing belongs to the Cathedral of Granada and other details to a church in Rome. Two of the female figures are portraits of his wife and her sister. It was Meissonier who posed in a coat the color of green cabbage, with long skirts, belted with a wide belt, from which hangs a long cavalry sword.

The painting was shown at Goupil's in the spring of 1870 and created extraordinary interest in Paris. A talent so original, so new thrilled the critics. He was a success!"

To be continued

(Excerpted from "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885.) 

 

Mariano Fortuny, Always at Work

"Idyll," an etching by Mariano Fortuny

"Mariano Fortuny was never idle a moment. During the day, when not at work in his studio, he made sketches in the environs of the city, accompanied by some friend. One dark night they were attacked by fierce dogs who watch the flocks of the herdsmen of the Campagna around Rome. They used their color boxes as shields while walking backwards, finally finding shelter in a cabin.

Fortuny generally left his house early for the 'Studio di Papa Giulio,' so he called his atelier - although he sometimes slept there all night, stretched upon the straw, when he wished to begin work at daylight. There was a large and almost uncultivated garden attached to his atelier which enabled the artist to paint his models in open air. He placed them at the desired distance, according to the place they should fill in the picture, and amused himself in directing their change of place by blowing a bugle. In the evenings, he often etched on copper plates from the live model, and often continued at work until late at night.

He also made many copies, principally in watercolors, of works by Titian, Tintoret, Greco, Velasquez, Goya and other masters, on trips to museums in other cities and countries. It was while he was in Paris where he was introduced to M. Goupil, who at first glance perceived his profoundly original talent and proposed an arrangement such as he had practiced for many years with other painters of great renown - notably with Paul de la Roche and Gerome - that is to say, the purchase of his works at a fixed price, any profit in excess of this to be divided between him and Fortuny."

To be continued

(Excerpted from "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885.) 

Mariano Fortuny, Morocco

"Moroccan Man" by Mariano Fortuny

"War was declared between Spain and Morocco. The town council of Barcelona wrote to Mariano Fortuny, on 10th of January 1860, proposing he should go to Africa, and to paint there while accompanying the army - studies designed as souvenirs of this campaign.

He accepted, left by the first steamer on the 2nd of February, and with his future brother-in-law arrived some days afterwards at the encampment and set to work. A letter was sent afterwards by the town council of Barcelona to the governor of the province described this time and sent a new request:

'The Painter Fortuny has happily returned from Africa, where he collected, at the cost of great danger, and with a perseverance and zeal worthy of all praise, subjects of the highest interest, which he will doubtless use in the work the town council has entrusted to him. Your Excellency has seen his portfolios of sketches, souvenirs, and impressions, and will understand the great effect these drawing, so simply in appearance, will one day produce. So exactly do they show us the places where our heroic army has accomplished great deeds of arms - also the dress, character and manners of our adversaries in this African war.'"

To be continued...

(Excerpts from "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885.) 

Mariano Fortuny, the Spanish Prix de Rome

"The Print Collector" by Mariano Fortuny

"On the 6th of March, 1857, the Spanish Prix de Rome was unanimously given to Mariano Fortuny. The subject of the competition was "Raymond III nailing the arms of Barcelona on the tower of the Castle of Foix.'"

"The pension granted was 8000 reaux (about 2080 francs a year); for two years the pensioner engaged to send six drawings from nature, one copy in oil of an old master; in the last month of the term, six similar figures and a painting in oil, the subject to be taken from the history of Catalonia."

The following are excerpts from a letter to one of his former teachers:

"My Much Esteemed Master, I trust you will pardon me for not writing to you during the month I have passed in Rome, but thought it better to wait, that I might give you my impressions of this great city. What I admire above all are the frescoes of Raphael at the Vatican, particularly 'Mount Parnassus,' the 'School of Athens,' the 'Dispute on the Holy Sacrament,' and the 'Burning of Bergo.' What I call a well-painted picture, and which I place above all others, is a portrait of 'Innocent X' by Velasquez."

After having worked all day, Mariano then would go to the Academy of Gigi, to study and draw the model unclothed for two hours, the clothed for another two hours. He continued this, only rarely missing an evening, for eight years. He sent pictures back to Spain with the instructions that any money earned from their sale should go to his grandfather. Sadly the old man died a year to a day after Mariano had arrived in Rome...and Mariano was greatly grieved.

To be continued...

(Excerpted largely from the book "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885.) 

Mariano Fortuny, Beginnings

"Mariano Fortuny" by Federico Madrazo

"Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny loved his grandfather. He remembered traveling with the old man to nearby towns in the region of Catalonia to help him earn some money by showing off a cabinet filled with moving wax figures. 

Mariano had shown such an interest and talent for drawing as he grew that his grandfather wanted to see him enter the Academia de Bellas Artes in Barcelona. The journey to present his work for admission to the school was a long and fatiguing one, because for economy's sake, they walked the entire distance, more than sixty miles.

They showed three small works, which impressed the school so much that Mariano was allowed to enter the academy. Several kind patrons paid his board and tuition. One instructor announced to the others that, 'This young man will astonish us all,' which caused such great jealousy that he was sadly forced to resign. Even with his board and tuition paid Mariano had to add to his income by coloring photographs, by making designs for architects and jewelers and occasionally painting portraits.

Early on Sunday mornings, Mariano Fortuny drew from nature in the environs of the town. His companion on these occasions was Jose Tapiro. One morning he called for him as early as five o'clock and found him asleep with the door open. 'Don't let us shut it,' said Fortuny to him, 'let us see if the thieves know where our money is; as for us we know nothing about it!' 

"Portrait of a Young Woman" by Mariano Fortuny

Another day, when they and other friends went on a boating excursion and all, with the exception of Tapiro, had jumped overboard, Fortuny, who had become almost exhausted, would certainly have drowned, had not his friend brought the boat to his rescue, and caught him by the hair.

Spared to continue his work, he filled sketchbooks with characters and scenes of everyday life. He called this 'fishing for types.' He also created paintings that, while accepted in the Academie Salon, did not particularly indicate the talent which later compelled admiration. And then came a competition that changed his life."

To be continued

(Excerpted largely from the book "Life of Fortuny with His Works and Correspondence" by Charles Davillier, 1885.)

Theodore Robinson, A Sudden Departure

"On the Tow-Path, a Halt" by Theodore Robinson

Will Low and his wife had returned to Paris for one of his projects and had the good fortune to be stay at the house a French art critic who was away for five months. He and his wife had 'adopted' Theodore Robinson as a quasi-permanent member of their household. His stay with them was described thusly:

"In the morning over coffee, Theodore Robinson would quietly remark that he would be gone for a few days, and he would thus with characteristic quietness, slip out of our common life for a time; going, no doubt, to Barbizon, Grez, or some haunt along the Seine - for Giverny was of later discovery with him - and then slip back into his place at the table as quietly as before.

This his friends humoured, as they had learned to do years before, and as they continued to do in after years, when a ring at the bell might mean his unannounced return from Europe; or, after a winter in New York, his announcement, "I think I'll sail tomorrow" would be made in much the same tone as his (more frequent) remark, "If you are not expecting guests, I think I'll stay to dinner." But we were always glad to have him at any time on any terms.

I had thought nothing of his not appearing at our house for a week or ten days when, on the afternoon of April 2, 1896, a messenger summoned me from my work with the news of his sudden death. A friend, who was also his physician, had seen him in the morning, Robinson protesting against his ministrations that he was simply suffering from a mild attack of the asthma to which he was subject, a diagnosis in which the physician concurred - and half an hour after he had expired, as a candle burning brightly down to its socket, flickers and goes out.

A delicate, sensitive artist, receptive to the beauty of atmosphere and limpid play of light over the face of nature, he had no greater preoccupation, in his last years, than to find in the land of his birth a country side that was as inspiring to his work as his well-loved Valley of the Seine. Some strain of Puritan conscience, a desire to identify himself with his native land, was his impelling motive and by this strain he was brought to the hills of Vermont, from whence he had been taken in his infancy and there had found his ideal country. The last time we spoke together he was planning to return there and looking forward to work that should be filled with the contentment of an attained desire, when it was otherwise ordered."

(Excerpted from Will Low Hicok's "A Chronicle of Friendships, 1873-1900.")

Theodore Robinson, Decorative Influences

"At the Piano" by Theodore Robinson

"Not long after Theodore Robinson's arrival in New York he entered the employ of Mr. La Farge, who added him to the number at work there who persuaded themselves for a year or so that the days of the Italian Renaissance were revived on Manhattan Island. Here he developed a delicate and refined decorative sense that, at the time, promised to dominate his work.

He had always had a very pretty vein of imagination, and as he was a man of extensive reading, he made many composition sketches, inspired most frequently by the poets.

Taking him as he was, then or later, he was to his intimates a rare and cheering presence. But the indifferent he opposed with an indifference that was almost monumental; and these could scarce understand the charm which lay hidden in this reticent, self-reliant - and at times cynically frank - personality.

His delicate constitution imposed from his birth many burdens upon him, and he had early learned to limit his enjoyments in work or play. He systematically demanded little from the world in general, only willing to receive from his intimates much less than he gave in return.

He went to fill a similar position in Boston in a decorative house established there by Prentice Treadwell where he remained for three years creating works entirely of his own invention so that in a number of private houses in Newport and elsewhere there is charming decoration by his hand.

After this period he found himself in possession of sufficient means to return to Europe, where, in France, under the influence of Claude Monet, his art was to mature.

To be continued

(Excerpts are from Will Low Hicok's "A Chronicle of Friendships, 1873-1900.")
 

Theodore Robinson, a Frugal Man

"Angelus" by Theodore Robinson

"Theodore Robinson was endowed with that supremely useful virtue of frugality; and the small salary he received sufficed for his wants - his extremely few wants, in truth, for no one ever rose superior to the ordinary and material comforts of life more than he. Nay, from the time when he found certain advantages in sleeping, curled up in a cupboard in his Paris studio, like some Diogenes in his tub, he scrupulously avoided what he considered pampering luxuries, that were in other eyes the most ordinary comforts.

I have known him to abandon a commodious studio with a living room attached, which had been provided him by well-meaning but too-solicitous friends, for a bare room at the top of four flights of stairs where he could sleep on a cot behind a screen, and 'be free from the tyranny of modern conveniences.'

He derived certain advantages form this Spartan attribute when, in after years, he faced the discomforts of the country inns where he passed his winters in France; and at all times his dignified and self-sustaining frugality enabled him to be more his own master than the majority of mankind."

To be continued

(Excerpts are from Will Low Hicok's "A Chronicle of Friendships, 1873-1900.")

Theodore Robinson

"The Old Bridge" by Theodore Robinson

American artist Will Hicok Low wrote a most interesting autobiography, "A Chronicle of Friendships, 1873-1900," which includes this chapter on artist Theodore Robinson.

"Among the new arrivals one year was Theodore Robinson, who, timidly, with due respect for my two years' experience in Paris student life, sought my acquaintance; and an intimacy of closest friendship was established, which only ceased with his death in 1896. Frail, with a husky, asthmatic voice and a laugh that shook his meagre sides and yet hardly made itself heard, timid and reticent, saying little, yet blessed with as keen a sense of humour as anyone I have ever known, Robinson was received at once into our little circle with the highest favour.

 

It was to be many years before his work shed a certain dryness and under the influence of the Impressionistic school blossomed into colour and achieved popularity of the kind which the painter occasionally vouchsafes to his fellow. Popularity with the collector and the general public he never attained during his lifetime, though I am glad to think now how much it appealed to me from the first, and how when his day of recognition arrived, though day had closed for him, it brought to me no element of surprise. 

 

My friend Theodore Robinson had arrived back from Paris and had returned to the home of his parents in Wisconsin. It was easy to read between the lines of his letters that Evansville, Wisconsin, "was not Athens" - or Paris. Fortunately Robinson was extricated from those surroundings to teach at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts."

 

To be continued...

Walter MacEwen, Latter Years

"The Absent One (All Souls Day)" by Walter MacEwen

"Walter MacEwen's cosmopolitan phase lasted about six years after which his work simply mellowed. After 1910, his production began to slow. There was still the occasional Dutch genre painting and expositions, but his interest seemed to be given over to contemporary scenes, many of which may have been inspired by his family.

Having developed arthritis in his hands, MacEwen retired from painting in 1920. He remained in Paris where he dabbled in printmaking and continued to oversee Gari Melchers' European business interests. With the onset of World War II, he and his family were forced to permanently return to the United States. They settled in New York City in 1940 and were still there when MacEwen died in 1943."

(Excerpts from "Walter MacEwen: A Forgotten Episode in American Art" by Rhonda Kay Cross.)

Walter MacEwen's Mirror Images

"A Belle of 1910" by Walter MacEwen

"In 1900, Walter MacEwen began a series of paintings that launched the 'cosmopolitan' phase of his career. Each depicts a full-length socialite contemplating her own image in a mirror. These studies remained distinct, his brush tight and controlled, but he did lighten his palette to bright whites and pastels to create the beautiful fabrics he so skillfully imitated.

Ranging in size from 3 feet by 2 feet to as large as 7 feet by 3 feet, these pieces were probably commissioned and custom sized to fit the needs of his patrons. Most often one painting's subject would be identical to another with only slight changes to the facial features and the color of her Empire costume. MacEwen would also modify the furnishings around the subject.

For a few years, MacEwen's mirror pictures were his trademark, but they did not earn him any extraordinary prestige. It may, however, have proven to be a lucrative sales tactic at a time when he might have needed the work the most. In 1889, the year before he embarked on his cosmopolitan campaign, he had taken a wife, Mary Ella Ward."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Walter MacEwen: A Forgotten Episode in American Art" by Rhonda Kay Cross.)

Walter MacEwen, Other Inspirations

"The Witches" by Walter MacEwen

"At the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Walter MacEwen and Gari Melchers sat on the National Jury of American artists and were also invited to exhibit. MacEwen submitted four paintings. Three were of Dutch peasant life, but the fourth was 'The Witches,' a history painting depicting American subject matter.

It was monumental - approximately 6.5 feet by 10 feet. Combined with a renewed interest in America's early history during the 1880s and 1890s, 'The Witches,' inspired by the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, was one of the most talked about pieces among exposition visitors. 

 

MacEwen also broke from his Dutch subject matter when he painted a work titled 'A Magdalen.' He was inspired to paint it after noticing a beautiful and richly dressed young woman attending a Christmas Eve midnight mass at St. Michael's church in Munich. She had entered the church, humbly placed a lit taper on the pew, then knelt in prayer.

"A Magdalen" by Walter MacEwen

When the woman left, he followed her out only to see her being driven away in a carriage. She could have come from a high station in society, but MacEwen read another meaning into the humility and anguish he saw in her expression and posture. He imagined that she could have been a repentant prostitute, a Mary Magdalene as it were, who was redeemed as she became a follower of Christ."

 

When the Chicago 'Times-Herald' reviewed it, it was hailed as 'the greatest picture yet painted by the Chicago artist..replete with refined imagination and subtle insight into character. It marked the pinnacle of his career."

 

To be continued

 

(Excerpts from "Walter MacEwen: A Forgotten Episode in American Art" by Rhonda Kay Cross.)

Walter MacEwen, Inspired in Holland

"The Judgment of Paris" by Walter MacEwen

Walter MacEwen, Gari Melchers and George Hitchcock, all Americans, had trained in Germany at the same time but in different academies, then left to study in Paris. Later on they joined up in the fishing village of Egmond aan Zee in Holland. By 1900 they and other artists had established the American artist colony there which was recognized as the Egmond School.

 

Many of their finest works were inspired in this setting. When, in 1890, the Art Institute of Chicago mounted an exhibition to launch the opening of their new galleries, Room Fourteen was devoted entirely to MacEwen. Of the fifty-nine paintings shown, over half are verified by title or existing images to be of Dutch influence. People related to MacEwen's themes even so. 

 

At the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris, MacEwen received a silver medal for 'The Judgment of Paris.' As the title implies, it was based on the tale from classical Greek mythology - just set in Holland. The myth concerned a beauty contest in which the Trojan prince Paris must choose one of three goddesses to receive a coveted golden apple. The ensuing jealousies resulted in the Trojan War. By substituting contemporary figures, MacEwen called attention to the relevance of the myth's moral lessons.

 

To be continued

 

(Excerpts from "Walter MacEwen: A Forgotten Episode in American Art" by Rhonda Kay Cross.)

 

Walter MacEwen, Beginnings

"The Ghost Story" by Walter MacEwen

"Walter MacEwen was born to John and Elizabeth MacEwen on February 13, 1860 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied business and accounting while working off hours as a clerk at his father's contracting company. It seems his father, a Scottish-born manufacturer and builder, was cultivating him to eventually enter the family business. 

One day a panhandler entered the office in search of a handout. MacEwen extended him a ten-dollar loan and took an artist's box of paints and brushes as collateral. When the man did not return to redeem his property MacEwen began experimenting with the supplies and by the spiring of 1877, decided that painting was his true vocation."

"When considering a suitable venue for professional art training, Walter MacEwen had several things to consider, the first being simple logistics. Chicago did not establish its own institution until 1879, therefore he would have to leave his hometown and his father's employ to move forward with his plan, which began with study at the Munich Academy - a short lived venture.

After his first year he left and was drawn to Paris. He relocated there in 1881 and continued his training at the Academie Julian with Tony Robert-Fleury. Robert-Fleury was highly regarded for his historical compositions and portraits, and the students from his atelier moved up quickly through the ranks of young artists striving for recognition. Simultaneously MacEwen studied with Fernand Cormon, an academic painter of historical subjects."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Walter MacEwen: A Forgotten Episode in American Art" by Rhonda Kay Cross.)
 

Eastman Johnson, Conclusion

"Self-Portrait" by Eastman Johnson

"By 1890 Eastman Johnson was an emeritus dean of American painting - well liked as a person and respected as an artist who had achieved an original success grounded in his technical prowess. Those critics and writers who remembered American narrative painting before 1850 praised his role in preparing the path for the younger generation of Realists, even if it was recognized that Johnson had stopped short of keeping pace with the new guard. But at the close of Johnson's era, 'devotion to truth,' as one critic put it,' still had value in some circles, and in tributes to the artist at the time of his death, this quality was cited liberally in reference to the man as well as to his art."

"Woman Reading" by Eastman Johnson

"Winter, Portrait of a Child" by Eastman Johnson

"The Girl I Left Behind Me" by Eastman Johnson

(Excerpts from "Eastman Johnson: Painting America" by Teresa Carbone and Patricia Hills.)