The Museum of Fine Arts in Seville, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, will exhibit a selection of Andalusian artists Diego López (1875-1969), Manuel González Santos (1875-1949), and Manuel Villalobos (1875-1938) starting on February 27. Among the works on display, two are being exhibited for the first time in the galleries: the portraits of José López and the painter Manuel Villalobos Díaz, both by Diego López.
The exhibition, titled ‘Three Commemorated Andalusian Artists’, coincides with the 150th anniversary of the artists’ births. Specifically, a total of seven works will be shown: the two mentioned earlier by Diego López, two more by Manuel González Santos (a self-portrait and ‘No Bread!’, with a strong social message), and three canvases by Manuel Villalobos (‘Playa de Rota’, ‘Mists on the River’, and ‘Spring Afternoon’).
The exhibition brings together the work of three Andalusian artists known for their realistic aesthetic and versatility in depicting various pictorial genres, especially portraiture and landscapes. Therefore, the exhibition will take visitors on a journey through the most unique pictorial production of these artists, featuring works not typically displayed to the public.
Both Diego López and Manuel González Santos excel in the same facet, portraiture. Their trajectories, initially intertwined as they were born just streets apart in the vicinity of Plaza de la Alfalfa, diverge due to family economic circumstances. While González Santos began teaching at the School of Fine Arts in Seville immediately after training there, López was unable to fulfill his dream of studying in Italy due to his father’s passing.
Manuel Villalobos Díaz, on the other hand, stands out as a landscape painter of the second generation from the School of Alcalá de Guadaíra (Seville). His production, the least studied of the three, ranges from riverside landscapes of the Guadalquivir to female portraits and artistic ceramics. Among his exhibited works, his ability to capture different atmospheric conditions shines, from the bright, blinding sun bathing the coast of Cadiz to the vague, melancholic light on the riverbanks.
This commemoration could also include Manuel García y Rodríguez, who passed away a hundred years ago, and was, alongside his mentor Emilio Sánchez Perrier, the most significant figure of the Alcalá School. Beyond the town of Alcalá and the banks of the Guadalquivir, García y Rodríguez explored the light of other Andalusian landscapes, such as those in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Rota, Córdoba, or Granada. In Gallery XII, his only work in the collections, ‘View of Seville’, can be admired.
The exhibition ‘Three Commemorated Andalusian Artists’ adds to the special cultural program of the Ministry of Culture and Sports in celebration of Andalusia Day, where cultural ensembles, museums, libraries, and archives have organized nearly a hundred activities for citizens to visit these spaces and discover Andalusian heritage.