Juan de Alfaro y Gamez
Encyclopedia
Juan de Alfaro y Gamez was a Spanish
painter of the Baroque
. He was born at Córdoba
. He was first a pupil of Antonio del Castillo, but finished his studies at Madrid
under Velázquez
, whose manner he followed, particularly in portraits. He was employed by Velazquez in copying the works of Titian, Rubens, and Van Dyck. In the church of the Carmelites is an Incarnation and in the church of the Imperial College at Madrid is his picture of the Guardian Angel.
The biographer Palomino relates a story which proves that he possessed more vanity than skill. Being employed to paint subjects from the life of St. Francis for the cloister of the convent of that name, he took them from prints, but had the folly to put to each of them Alfaro pinxit. His first master, Castillo, to chastise his vanity, obtained permission to paint one, and placed at the bottom non pinxit Alfaro, which passed into a proverb. He was fond of travelling, was well versed in literature, wrote poetry, and some interesting notes on the lives of Becerra, Céspedes
, and Velazquez. He painted the portrait of Calderón de la Barca, which was placed over the tomb of the poet in the church of San Salvador in Madrid. His conduct towards his patron, the Admiral of Castille, has left a greater stain on his memory than even his vanity. He forsook the admiral when he was banished, and meanly solicited his patronage when recalled: the repulse he received produced melancholy, and caused his death, which took place in Madrid.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
painter of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. He was born at Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
. He was first a pupil of Antonio del Castillo, but finished his studies at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
under Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
, whose manner he followed, particularly in portraits. He was employed by Velazquez in copying the works of Titian, Rubens, and Van Dyck. In the church of the Carmelites is an Incarnation and in the church of the Imperial College at Madrid is his picture of the Guardian Angel.
The biographer Palomino relates a story which proves that he possessed more vanity than skill. Being employed to paint subjects from the life of St. Francis for the cloister of the convent of that name, he took them from prints, but had the folly to put to each of them Alfaro pinxit. His first master, Castillo, to chastise his vanity, obtained permission to paint one, and placed at the bottom non pinxit Alfaro, which passed into a proverb. He was fond of travelling, was well versed in literature, wrote poetry, and some interesting notes on the lives of Becerra, Céspedes
Céspedes
-People:*Alba de Céspedes y Bertini, a Cuban-Italian writer*Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a Cuban independence fighter*Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada, a Cuban writer, politician, diplomat, and President of Cuba*Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, a Spanish novelist...
, and Velazquez. He painted the portrait of Calderón de la Barca, which was placed over the tomb of the poet in the church of San Salvador in Madrid. His conduct towards his patron, the Admiral of Castille, has left a greater stain on his memory than even his vanity. He forsook the admiral when he was banished, and meanly solicited his patronage when recalled: the repulse he received produced melancholy, and caused his death, which took place in Madrid.