Luis Alvarez Catalá (Spanish, 1836-1901)
PROPERTY FROM A CALIFORNIA COLLECTION
Luis Alvarez Catalá (Spanish, 1836-1901)

The Recital

Details
Luis Alvarez Catalá (Spanish, 1836-1901)
The Recital
signed and inscribed 'L Alvarez MADRID' (lower left)
oil on canvas laid down on board
24¼ x 39¼ in. (61.6 x 99.7 cm.)
Provenance
Anonymous sale, Bonham's, London, 17 November 2004, lot 128.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.

Lot Essay

Born in 1836, Luis Alvarez Catala began his artistic education in the painting school of Raimundo de Madrazo in Madrid and at the age of 16, left his native Spain for Rome, accompanied by Vicente Palmaroli and Eduardo Rosales. The three young artists traveled extensively around Italy before finally settling in Rome.

Alvarez took an active part in the European art movements of his time, sending his works to all of the main European exhibitions. He won medals in Madrid in 1862, 1864 and in 1890 he won medals in Munich, Berlin and Paris. His international reputation made, he was named Director of the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Alvarez's works were much sought-after during his lifetime by collectors in the United States and many of his works can still be found in American collections. The virtuoso brushwork and high degree of finish in his painting was prized by European and American collectors alike.

In The Recital, two cardinals in full regalia, surrounded by an entourage of elegant ladies and gentlemen are entertained by a charming group of equally elegant musicians. Much attention is lavished upon the details of the interior of the Roccoco-style parlour room adorned with an elaborate chandelier and intricate wall decoration. Particularly notable is Alvarez's choice of clear, pastel colors and masterful brushwork that renders the rich and satiny texture of the ladies' dresses.

Like Arturo Ricci, Vittorio Reggianini and Frederic Soulacroix, Alvarez uses the composition more as a pretext for depicting extremely elegant figures attired in 18th Century costume surrounded by utter luxury. These paintings were enormously popular with the new rich of the 19th Century, who looked to the past for images of a refinement they felt was sorely lacking in the contemporary age.

The artist G.A. Storey wrote:

There can be no doubt that want of taste in dress and other surroundings often obliges the artist to present his fancies in the costumes of periods when articles of clothing were in themselves works of art, instead of in the shifting fashions of the day that in a year or two would not only look out of date, but stand forth in all their native ugliness and vulgarity.' (P. Hook and M. Poltimore, Popular 19th Century Painting, Woodbridge, 1986, p. 295)

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