FRANCISCO PRADILLA ORTIZ (Villanueva de Gállego,... Lot 106

FRANCISCO PRADILLA ORTIZ (Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, 1848 - Madrid, 1921). "Danza de Odaliscas", 1876. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Catalogued in "Francisco Pradilla", Wilfredo Rincón García, Ed. Antiq Varia, p. 102, ref. 15. The piece presents some restorations and is relined. Measurements: 178 x 215 cm; 197 x 238 cm (frame). "Danza de odaliscas" is an outstanding painting in Pradilla's oeuvre. Produced during his period as a pensioner in Rome, years in which he prioritised oriental themes, it stands out for its technical quality, the play of chiaroscuro and compositional dynamism. Although the influence of Fortuny is notable here, Pradilla internalised the Orientalist taste in vogue with the elegance of a genius in order to formulate a language of his own. Six women, illuminated by a side source of warm light that seems to come from a bonfire, wiggle with languid dance steps or sensual gestures, all different. Only one remains seated on the grass. The silver anklets, rhinestone necklaces, slaves and pearls that adorn their hair emphasise the nakedness of their torsos. These adornments and jewels, as well as the brocades and transparent gauze, reveal an unusual mastery of glazes, drawing and the palette, which absorbs shimmer and velvety shifts. The light falls less on the figures in the background, where an undaunted man observes them in the half-light. Their rigidity contrasts with the swaying female bodies. Some have oriental features, but others are European ladies dressed "Moorish-style", as was the custom in Orientalist photography and painting. Graceful dimples light up their smiles. Pradilla frees the odalisques from the harem and brings them together in a natural setting, where their dances are impregnated with ritual enigmas. Francisco Pradilla began his training as an apprentice to Mariano Pescador, and at the San Luis School of Fine Arts in Saragossa. In 1868 he continued his studies at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he was a pupil of Federico de Madrazo and Carlos de Haes. In 1874 he won the Drawing Prize of the "Ilustración Española y Americana" and was awarded a scholarship to study in Rome, where he lived for twenty-three years until his appointment as director of the Prado in 1897. In 1878 he took part in the National Exhibition in Madrid and was awarded the Medal of Honour, the same distinction he won the same year at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. As a result of these successes he received numerous commissions not only from Spain and France, but also from America and other European countries. He travelled around Spain and became interested in depicting genre scenes full of grace and colour. His works took part in exhibitions and competitions in cities all over the world, such as London, Paris, Berlin, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. He was director of the Spanish Academy in Rome, and a member of the Royal Academies of San Fernando and San Luis, the French Academy and the Hispanic Society of New York. Among other decorations, he was awarded the Cross of Isabella the Catholic and the Legion of Honour. Francisco Pradilla's work can be found in the Museo del Prado, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Havana and São Paulo, the MACBA in Barcelona, the Christchurch Art Gallery in New Zealand and the Museo Romántico in Madrid, among others.