Paisaxe con río, castelo e escena de pescadores (Landscape with river, castle and fishermen scene)
This beautiful landscape is an early work by the greatest painter of Spanish Romanticism, Jenaro Pérez Villaamil (Ferrol, 1807-Madrid, 1854). In this highly picturesque composition, we can see several of the characteristic elements of his idealised landscapes: wide open spaces, an interplay of light in clear skies, rugged mountains, gorges, wild flora, everyday scenes with small figures, harbours, ruins, monumental buildings, etc. At times these details are natural, other times they are pure fantasy – creations he came up with while painting in his studio.
The meticulous, light, firm brushstrokes in the rendering of the details contrast with the broader, more material brushstrokes – for example, in the depiction of the clouds. They also display the warmth of the pink and gold tones that became a common feature of his Romantic painting, of which the Museum has several examples.
Born in Ferrol in 1807, Jenaro Pérez Villaamil took up drawing with his father, a teacher of Surveying and Drawing at the Military College of Santiago. When he was twelve, his family moved to Madrid, and in his youth he left his military life to take up painting. It was during his stay in Andalusia that he was greatly impressed by the romantic landscapes of the Scot David Roberts, whose style he never abandoned.
By 1837 he was already very popular, holding important academic positions and receiving major national and international recognition. His endless trips round Europe and Spain took a toll on his health, but he left behind a wide production of drawings, paintings and lithographs. One of his best-known works, his album España Artística y Monumental (1842-1850) follows this last technique.
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In the same room in which this work can be seen and in the adjoining room, on display are several paintings and drawings by the author, as well as by other contemporary artists representing two of the most important Romantic schools of the period – those of Madrid and Andalusia.
They are a magnificent example of the Museum of Pontevedra's rich collection of 19th century paintings, which, in addition to Romanticism, brings us closer to Realism, the other style that emerged strongly from the third quarter of the century, with landscapes such as those of the master Carlos de Haes or those of the Galician artists Serafín Avendaño or Alfredo Souto, among others.