Lot Essay
Mexican paintings of the 19th Century have always been valued by the most selective Mexican art collections. In recent times, international collectors have begun to equally value the unique wealth of Mexican 19th Century painting. Arrieta has been traditionally collected and treasured as one of the most important exponents of the Mexican art of this period.
In his artistic production, the artist brilliantly depicts --within a realist tradition of portraiture and still life paintings, the cultural traditions of his native Mexico. Arrieta was educated in the city of Puebla, the capital of the most cosmopolitan province that flourished during the 1700-1800s in Mexico. Being a transit city, all merchants and travelers from Europe crossed its plazas, thus transforming Puebla into a highly vivid and cultured city.
Arrieta's exposure to the travelers of the world turned him into one of the central figures of 19th Century art. Aesthetically, he followed his contemporaries in depicting the richness of local customs and every day chores in a naturalistic manner, however excelling in rendering masterfully executed compositions. Likewise, and following the trends of the time, his paintings soon became a testimony of the social changes undergone by the Mexican and Pueblan society in their quest for independence.
The current family portrait Al Excelentísimo Señor General Don Felipe, until recently unknown to Mexican specialists, is without a doubt the most important portrait to date to be attributed to the hand of José Agustin Arrieta. One of the 19th Century biographers of Arrieta stated that in his early years the artist was solely dedicated to protraiture.(1) It has also been documented that Arrieta attended the Academia of Puebla since the year 1813, and that his first signed portrait dates from 1829. This allows scholars to date this painting to the first quarter of the 19th Century. Scholars are also aware that in 1821, soon after the independence from Spain, more than ten thousand Spaniards currently residing in Mexico were gradually expelled from the country.(2)
The uniqueness of this signed painting lies in the psychological complexity with which the author has rendered the various members of the family portrait. There is an evident narrative intention towards the deciphering of a future plot. The action taking place in the painting is a direct response to some startling news. The father extends a document to the young boy who attentively reaches for the document. Who is His Excellency? To whom is this document addressed? Who is Don Felipe? Are they the names of a plot that directly involves the future of this poblana family. How is this subject tied to the events taking place in the young Republic?
The families of Spanish descent were commonly afflicted. Those born in the Mother Land were expelled and their offspring were expected to remain faithful to the ideals of a liberated America. Could this be an explanation to the pathos in the semblance of the characters in this painting? Is this why Arrieta has clearly divided the composition in groups according to age? Is it an explanation to the consoling attitude of the young girl or to the taciturn expression of the lady?
These questions are all but a personal interpretation of the painting. Nevertheless, they illustrate Arrieta's capacity to render a given subject as well as his masterful way of capturing the spirit of the sitters. Far from the conventionalisms of the bourgeois and academic portrait, Arrieta was the only Mexican painter of the 19th Century that was able to render every day life situations with a profound imprint of feelings and psycological meaning. This painting is an authentic jewel of Mexican painting from the 19th century.
We are grateful to Prof. Luis Martín Lozano for confiming the attribution of this painting from a transparency, and for his assistance in cataloguing and writing the essay for the present lot.
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1. Herrera, V., 'La sombra en el espejo', Conaculta, Mexico City, 1997, Cfr. Bernardo Olivares Iriarte, Album Artístico, 1974
2. Sims, Vid. Harold D., La expulsión de los españoles de México, 1824-1921
In his artistic production, the artist brilliantly depicts --within a realist tradition of portraiture and still life paintings, the cultural traditions of his native Mexico. Arrieta was educated in the city of Puebla, the capital of the most cosmopolitan province that flourished during the 1700-1800s in Mexico. Being a transit city, all merchants and travelers from Europe crossed its plazas, thus transforming Puebla into a highly vivid and cultured city.
Arrieta's exposure to the travelers of the world turned him into one of the central figures of 19th Century art. Aesthetically, he followed his contemporaries in depicting the richness of local customs and every day chores in a naturalistic manner, however excelling in rendering masterfully executed compositions. Likewise, and following the trends of the time, his paintings soon became a testimony of the social changes undergone by the Mexican and Pueblan society in their quest for independence.
The current family portrait Al Excelentísimo Señor General Don Felipe, until recently unknown to Mexican specialists, is without a doubt the most important portrait to date to be attributed to the hand of José Agustin Arrieta. One of the 19th Century biographers of Arrieta stated that in his early years the artist was solely dedicated to protraiture.(1) It has also been documented that Arrieta attended the Academia of Puebla since the year 1813, and that his first signed portrait dates from 1829. This allows scholars to date this painting to the first quarter of the 19th Century. Scholars are also aware that in 1821, soon after the independence from Spain, more than ten thousand Spaniards currently residing in Mexico were gradually expelled from the country.(2)
The uniqueness of this signed painting lies in the psychological complexity with which the author has rendered the various members of the family portrait. There is an evident narrative intention towards the deciphering of a future plot. The action taking place in the painting is a direct response to some startling news. The father extends a document to the young boy who attentively reaches for the document. Who is His Excellency? To whom is this document addressed? Who is Don Felipe? Are they the names of a plot that directly involves the future of this poblana family. How is this subject tied to the events taking place in the young Republic?
The families of Spanish descent were commonly afflicted. Those born in the Mother Land were expelled and their offspring were expected to remain faithful to the ideals of a liberated America. Could this be an explanation to the pathos in the semblance of the characters in this painting? Is this why Arrieta has clearly divided the composition in groups according to age? Is it an explanation to the consoling attitude of the young girl or to the taciturn expression of the lady?
These questions are all but a personal interpretation of the painting. Nevertheless, they illustrate Arrieta's capacity to render a given subject as well as his masterful way of capturing the spirit of the sitters. Far from the conventionalisms of the bourgeois and academic portrait, Arrieta was the only Mexican painter of the 19th Century that was able to render every day life situations with a profound imprint of feelings and psycological meaning. This painting is an authentic jewel of Mexican painting from the 19th century.
We are grateful to Prof. Luis Martín Lozano for confiming the attribution of this painting from a transparency, and for his assistance in cataloguing and writing the essay for the present lot.
____________________________
1. Herrera, V., 'La sombra en el espejo', Conaculta, Mexico City, 1997, Cfr. Bernardo Olivares Iriarte, Album Artístico, 1974
2. Sims, Vid. Harold D., La expulsión de los españoles de México, 1824-1921