VALENTIN DE ZUBIAURRE AGUIRREZÁBAL (Madrid, 1879 - 1963). "Pedraza", Segovia. Oil on canvas.

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19th & 20th Century Fine Art

By Setdart Auction House

Dec 14, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-12-14 08:00:00 2021-12-14 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : 19th & 20th Century Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/19th-20th-century-fine-art-7992
Gaudi, Sorolla, Torres Garcia, Maclet, TSUGUHARU FOUJITA, Benjamin Palencia Setdart Auction House sofia@setdart.com

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• Lot Description
  VALENTIN DE ZUBIAURRE AGUIRREZÁBAL (Madrid, 1879 - 1963). "Pedraza", Segovia. Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower left corner. Signed and located on the back. Measurements: 90 x 92 cm; 112 x 114 cm (frame). The work that occupies us was realized in the time in which Valentín de Zubiaurre resided in Segovia, attracted by the popular types and the Castilian landscape of cities like Pedraza, Sepúlveda or Turégano. During his visits to the province of Segovia, Zubiaurre resided in his studio in the Palacio de Cheste, right in the center of the capital. Temporarily settled in such a beautiful city, he visited the center of the villages and their surroundings, practicing costumbrismo in an extraordinary way. His great technical astuteness, derived from his academic training, did not contemplate carrying the easel outside, but was based on the realization of quick, agile and very precise drawings that, together with his visual memory, formed the basis of his canvases. As can be seen in this exceptional painting of the outskirts of Pedraza, his figures, stony and of great solidity, inspired by those of Ignacio Zuloaga, combine with a deep sense of color, tinging the work with a certain symbolism. The monumental characters that make up the scene are dressed in popular costumes (the old man with cloak and slippers, and the young women with typical Segovian tablecloth, which falls over their voluptuous folk costumes) and rise above a rugged landscape, with the medieval city in the background. The Roman bridge at the bottom and the church at the end complete a totally narrative work. This painting demonstrates how, for Zubiaurre, art, fundamentally in its pictorial aspect, became a powerful vehicle of expression capable of making the regional peculiarities of Segovia known to the rest of the nation. However, the repetition of artistic and thematic formulas even led him, on occasions, to be criticized by his contemporaries, who considered that he abused this kind of themes. The son of the musical composer of the same name, Valentín de Zubiaurre was born deaf and dumb, as was his younger brother Ramón, also a painter. He began his training with the painter Daniel Perea, also deaf and mute, before entering the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1894. There he was a disciple of Carlos de Haes, Muñoz Degrain, Ferrant and Moreno Carbonero, and at the same time he completed his solid training by visiting the Prado Museum. In 1898 the two Zubiaurre brothers embarked on a study trip that would take them to France, Italy and the Netherlands. On their return to Spain they obtained a scholarship from the Diputación de Vizcaya in 1902, which allowed them to settle in Paris. There they attended classes at the Académie Julian, became acquainted with the modern trends that were then developing in the French capital and became interested in Impressionism. However, the Zubiaurre brothers were not permeable to its influence, mainly due to the weight of their academic training and their admiration for the Flemish and Italian primitives as well as for contemporary Spanish painters such as Dario de Regoyos and, especially, Ignacio Zuloaga. Valentín de Zubiaurre regularly sent his works to the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, being awarded on several occasions; in 1908 he obtained the second medal, and in 1917 he was awarded the first medal. He was also distinguished with awards from foreign institutions, and won prizes in outstanding international competitions held in the first decade of the 20th century, among them those of Munich, Buenos Aires, Brussels, San Francisco, San Diego and the University of Panama. From the 1920s until the Civil War, the Zubiaurre brothers experienced their period of greatest success and recognition, both in Spain and internationally. After the war Valentín de Zubiaurre resumed his career in Spain, and his recognition became official with his appointment as a full member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1945, culminating with the medal of honor awarded to him at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1957, six years before his death. He is currently represented in the Fine Arts Museums of Chicago, Buenos Aires, Paris, Luxembourg, Munich, Berlin, Tokyo, Pittsburg and San Diego, as well as in the main art galleries of the Basque Country, the Castagnino Museum in Argentina, the Reina Sofía National Art Center, the BBVA collection and the Museum of Modern Art in Rome, among others, both public and private.
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