Mariano Fortuny

Fortuny, Mariano 

(also Fortuny y Carbó). Born June 11, 1838, in Reus, Catalonia; died Nov. 21, 1874, in Rome. Spanish painter and graphic artist.

Fortuny studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona from 1853 and in Rome from 1858. He lived in Paris in 1860 and 1866–67 and visited Morocco in 1859, 1862, and 1871. He won enormous popularity with his genre paintings, which reflect the exoticism of the East and the colorful atmosphere of 18th-century Spain. These works, although trivial in content, are visually appealing and effective. Executed with technical virtuosity, they are especially notable for their painstaking depiction of reflected color and the texture of physical objects.

Fortuny’s main works include Lovers of Engravings (1866) and The Spanish Wedding (1869), both of which are housed in the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, The Snake Charmers (1870; Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow), and Choosing a Model (1874; Gardner collection, Boston). His numerous ink drawings, watercolors, and etchings are executed with great skill.

REFERENCES

Maseras Galtés, A. El pintor Fortuny. Barcelona, 1938.
Goya, 1974, no. 123.