Signed lower left. Oil on canvas showing ships in a city side harbor. Hammer Galleries NY stamp. Stretcher size approx. 29 3/8" X 22 1/4". Fine condition. Once ranked by admirers among the principal Spanish painters of the twentieth century, along with Picasso and Dalí, José Manuel Capuletti (1925-1978) was ignored by the critical establishment during his lifetime--though not by discerning collectors, who included Arthur Rubinstein, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Gladys Lloyd Robinson (Mrs. Edward G. Robinson). Prince Juan Carlos, the future king of Spain, was among the notable figures whose portraits he painted. Since his death, Capuletti has been virtually forgotten.As a painter, Capuletti was largely self-taught, having spent years studying the work of the masters he most admired--among them Velazquez, Carpaccio, and Vermeer. In matters of style, however, he is closer to Dalí, though their sensibilities could not be more different, as a cursory comparison of their work reveals. In contrast with his eccentric compatriot, who so often embraced the irrational, the bizarre, and the grotesque--Capuletti's work consistently projects positive human values, even when he juxtaposes incongruous elements in fantastic or dramatic scenes. A prolific painter, his subjects range from sensuous female nudes, vibrant young lovers, and adolescent girls (one fine example, a solitary figure jumping rope), to flamenco singers and musicians, bullfighters, and introspective self-portraits, not to mention landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes. Early in his career he had designed costumes and stage sets for the company of the renowned flamenco dancer, José Greco

36.25 x 43.25 in