CECILIO PLÃ GALLARDO (Valencia, 1860 - Madrid, 1934).
"Belle Époque-Paris".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 116 x 73 cm.
In this picture the author portrays a fleeting moment of the night life in Paris. The fluidity of the brushstroke, the presence of the carriage and the displacement to the right of the woman, who is in the foreground, are resources used by the author to configure a vibrant scene that introduces the spectator to the essence of the Paris of that time, known for its splendour and its bohemian life. The undisputed protagonist of early 20th-century painting, Paris became a stage in its own right, as can be seen in this image, which exudes a unique, lively atmosphere.
Cecilio Pla began his training at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia, later continuing at the San Fernando Academy in Madrid, where his teacher was Emilio Sala. In 1880 he made a study trip to Rome, visiting Italy, France and Portugal. From there he began to send works to the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, being awarded a third medal in 1884 for the Italian-themed work "El Dante: círculo de los avaros", and a second medal in 1887 for the religious canvas entitled "Entierro de Santa Leocadia". In 1892 he again won a second medal for the social realist painting "Las doce (el almuerzo)" ("Twelve o'clock (lunch)"), and the same award in 1895 for a scene of marital disagreement in a bourgeois interior, "Lazo de unión" ("Bond of Union"). Pla continued to take part in the National Exhibitions throughout his life, and in 1910 he was awarded the first medal for his painting "Two Generations", characterised by the different effects of natural light that were the artist's true speciality. That same year, 1910, he replaced his former teacher Emilio Sala in the class of colour aesthetics and pictorial procedures at the San Fernando Academy, where he taught Juan Gris, Francisco Bores, Pancho Cossío and José María López Mezquita, among others. It was then that he published his "Cartilla de arte pictórico". Pla also took part in international competitions, being awarded a medal of honour at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900. In 1924 he was appointed a member of the San Fernando Academy. He alternated his teaching activity with painting, as well as collaborating as an illustrator with publications such as "La Ilustración Española y Americana", "Blanco y Negro" and "La Esfera". He also produced posters, such as the one for the Carnival of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in 1892, and took part in mural decorations, including the ceiling of the hotel of the Infanta Isabel de Borbón, the Madrid Casino, the Círculo de Bellas Artes and the palace of the Dukes of Denia. Considered the greatest exponent of Valencian modernist painting, he nevertheless embraced different trends, from the academicism and costumbrismo of his beginnings to the Wagnerianism and luminism of his coastal views painted in Valencia. Cecilio Pla is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of Valencia, Zaragoza, Santander and Bilbao, the Fine Arts Circle of Madrid, Valencia City Council and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos, among other public and private collections, such as the UEE Collection. In 1999, the Mapfre Foundation devoted an extensive retrospective to him.