Background

De Madrazo y Kuntz was born in Madrid, Spain, on February 27, 1825, in a family of artists. He was the son of José de Madrazo y Agudo, a neoclassical painter and engraver, and Isabel Kuntz Valentini, a daughter of the Polish painter Tadeusz Kuntze. His brothers were Frederico de Madrazo y Kuntz and Pedro de Madrazo y Kuntz, both painters. Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz's nephews Ricardo de Madrazo y Garreta and Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta also became notable painters. His family has been described as one of the most important painting dynasties, who dominated 19th-century painting in Spain.

Education

Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz started his training in his father's studio and later attended the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. In the year 1845, he collaborated in the publication of El Semanario Pintoresco, being a draftsman. Three years later de Madrazo y Kuntz went to Rome in order to expand his studies. He attended the Accademia di San Luca and the French Academy in Rome at the Villa Medici. There, Antonio Solá organized his meeting with Friedrich Overbeck, who had a huge influence on the young painter. It was during this time that he came under the influence of the Nazarene movement.

Career

De Madrazo y Kuntz began to earn a living in 1845 while serving as an illustrator in the magazine El Semanario Pintoresco. Some years later the painter travelled all over Europe, visiting Paris, Munich, Venice and Berlin. At the beginning of the 1890s, he moved for a time in Pompeii along with two of his fellow painters from Spain, Bernardino Montañes and Francisco Sainz. Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz returned to Madrid when the influence of his father and older brothers allowed him to enter the city's artistic circles. So it was generally believed that his success was due to his family's reputation.

In his late years, Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz mainly devoted himself to teaching and producing portraits of the noble people. He frequently submitted his artworks to various national and international competitions. Later he became a director of the "Escuela Superior de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado de Madrid". Upon his death, in his home city of Madrid, he was succeeded by Dióscoro Puebla.

Achievements

• Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz was a distinguished painter, whose works were beloved by many people. He received several awards. He obtained a great success in the 1855 Exposición Universal de París and the following year he was granted a medal of the first class from the Nacional de Bellas Artes, as well as a silver medal from the Exposición Franco-Española of 1864.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Entierro De Santa Cecilia En Las Catacumbas De Roma

  • Isabel la Católica

  • Man Holding a Dagger

  • El Rey Don Pelayo En Covadonga

  • Primer Milagro De Santa Teresa De Jesús. Resurrección De Su Sobrino Don Gonzalo Ovalle, Hijo De Su Hermana Doña Juana De Ahumada

  • Don Pelayo, Rey De Asturias

  • Isabel Ii De España

  • Isabel Ii De España

  • St. Maria Micaela Desmaisìères

  • Retrato De La Señora De Creus

  • Portrait of Cecilia De Madrazo

  • The Little Marquise of Roncali

  • El pintor Francisco Sainz

  • El pintor Vicente Palmaroli

  • Federico Kuntz Amor

  • Camila García

  • Retrato de señora

  • Manuela Rivadeneyra

  • Estudio de cabeza masculina de perfil

  • Estudio de mano apoyada en una rodilla

  • Estudio de mano derecha femenina cogiendo una caña

  • Estudio de dos cabezas femeninas

  • Estudio de paños de una figura arrodillada

  • Cabeza de hombre barbado de perfil. Estudio de paños de una manga. Mano

  • Estudio de una cabeza femenina dormida

  • Estudio de paños

  • Estudio de figuras para ''El entierro de Santa Cecilia''

  • Estudio de cabeza de santo guerrero. Estudios de paños y manos derechas

Connections

Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz was married to Luisa de Madrazo Garreta. Their marriage produced a daughter, María Teresa de Madrazo y de Madrazo.

Father:

Jose Agudo

Mother:

Isabel Kuntz Valentini

Spouse:

Luisa de Madrazo Garreta

Grandfather:

Tadeusz Kuntze

Brother:

Frederico de Madrazo y Kuntz

Brother:

Pedro de Madrazo y Kuntz

nephew:

Ricardo de Madrazo y Garreta

nephew:

Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta

Daughter:

María Teresa de Madrazo y de Madrazo

References

• Les Orientalistes de l'Ecole espagnole (Les Orientalistes, Vol. 12) (French Edition)