Beautiful painting in good vintage condition with minor damage to frame. Signed lower left. Measures approx. 15 1/2" wide x 12 1/2" high (21" wide x 18 1/2" high with frame). Mariano Montoya was a self-taught painter born in 1950 in Ciudad Real, Spain. He developed a refined technique and a focus on realism, particularly in his use of color and light. His subjects ranged from seascapes to enigmatic orientalist compositions and carnival scenes. Montoya believed that the preciousness of the realism he cultivated was essential to creating the magical and dreamlike atmospheres that define his work. Despite his talent, Montoya's career was interrupted by the death of his brother, and he painted only for private individuals and collectors, such as the bullfighter Palomo Linares. He remained aloof from the artistic scene and never fully integrated into it.