Aureliano de Beruete Madrid 1845-1912

Julio Cavestany, Madrid; thence by descent to the present owners

Painter of note and distinguished art historian, Beruete was also a lawyer and politician. Beruete's painterly style shows the influence of the artists that he studied as a critic, emulated as a student, and discovered on his extensive travels throughout Europe. The plein air painting of the Barbizon School that he admired on trips to France, for example, had a lasting effect on him. Likewise the impressionistic style of the Valencian painters, notably the work of Joaquín Sorolla who, although a generation younger than Beruete, painted his portrait and became a close and trusted friend. Underlying the contemporary influences on Beruete's work, however, was the painter's profound knowledge and admiration for the Spanish Old Masters, notably Velázquez and Goya.