Emilio Sánchez Perrier. Drawings

This exhibition showcases Emilio Sánchez Perrier (1855-1907) as a draftsman for the first time, one of the most prominent Spanish landscape painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His paintings were especially valued for their realism, luminosity and technical precision, reminiscent of the works of Martín Rico. The drawings on display are a true reflection of his style and a priceless testimony of his artistic practice and the creative process of his paintings. Produced during his travels through Spain, France, Italy and North Africa, they capture natural, rural and urban scenes with extraordinary precision, taking special care to capture light and the atmosphere.

The exhibition presents a selection of the 192 drawings donated by the Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno Foundation to the Museo del Prado, together with the artist’s three paintings and drawing that the museum already had in its collection.

The works are arranged in four sections. The first section brings together a small selection of the most unique drawings donated by the Tatiana Foundation, as well as works from different sources that were already part of the Prado collection. Especially important are his Self-portrait in watercolor, which can be seen next to a drawing of his desk, two of the most striking landscape drawings of his body of work, and the painting February, acquired by the State after the painter obtained a second-place medal at the National Exhibition of 1890. This section also displays the works donated in 1908 by doctor and personal friend of the artist Pedro Ruiz Prieto, whom Sánchez Perrier portrayed in a watercolor painting that is also exhibited here.

The other drawings follow, arranged according to the different places that the artist visited as an outdoor painter. The first two sites show views of Spain and France, countries where he carried out most of his professional activity. Starting in 1880, he participated in the annual exhibitions held at the Salon in Paris, for which he made frequent trips to the French capital from his native Seville, where he remained until the final years of his life. The last section includes the views that he portrayed in Venice and Tangier, cities that he visited in the winter months of 1884 and 1887, respectively.

Some of his drawings of Spain include those created during the time he was a student at the School of Fine Arts in Seville, as well as others that were created later on. The search for natural environments where he could paint led him to move to small rural towns far from the urban world. He worked mainly in the Sevillian towns of Alcalá de Guadaíra, Cazalla de la Sierra and Guillena, in addition to other towns of Cádiz and Granada, the latter attracting him with its monumental architecture. From 1878 to 1879 he travelled through Zaragoza, La Coruña and Pontevedra.

In the second half of the 19th century, Paris had become the European capital of artistic modernity. The characteristic realism and luminosity of Sánchez Perrier works drew the attention of critics and international dealers, who soon opened the doors to the North American market, where he achieved notable success. He painted in towns close to the French capital, such as Barbizon, Pontoise, Poissy or Fontainebleau, and in the country’s northern regions, in Brittany, Normandy and Picardy. He shared these scenes with painters renovating European art, including Impressionists, however, Sánchez Perrier did not change his detailed style.

The beauty of Venice and Tangier, its streets and canals, the monumental architecture and the traditions of its inhabitants attracted landscape painters such as Sánchez Perrier, who sought to respond to a rich international clientele that demanded paintings with Venetian and oriental themes. Worth noting are his drawings of Venice which were made as the letterhead for letters penned by the artist to his brother, describing the Lagoon and night parties, and his drawings of Tangier which include street scenes of the medina and the Great Mosque, groups of Moroccans at the beach and individuals wearing turbans taking on different attitudes.