La Pintura
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| La Pintura | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Félix Resurrección Hidalgo |
| Year | c. 1890s |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 150 cm × 75 cm (59 in × 30 in) |
| Location | Private Collection, Philippines |
The La Pintura is a painting by the Filipino artist Félix Resurrección Hidalgo done in the style of Impressionism. The painting depicts a woman holding an paintbrush while turning back to the viewer, as she gazes towards an unfinished canvas. Hidalgo's La Pintura was subsequently sold for a world record of the artist of PHP78.256 million (US$1.51 million) at a Salcedo Auctions' Important Philippine Art sale in the Philippines on September 21, 2019.[1]
The La Pintura was created by Hidalgo in the impressionist style inspired by the trend of Japonisme, as the collecting and display of ukiyo-e prints was gaining significant traction among Western art circles. Beginning in the 1890s, Hidalgo began veering away from the historical realism style that brought his work towards international recognition, as denoted with his award-winning composition Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (1884) that garnered him a silver medal, along with that of compatriot and his personal friend Juan Luna who won his first gold medal (out of three) for Spoliarium at the 1884 Exposicion General de Bellas Artes in Madrid.[2]
The identity of the female painter depicted in the work has not been fully determined by scholars, previously attributing the sitter to Maria Yrritia who was Hidalgo's muse and common-law wife until his death in 1913.[3]
One plausible conclusion is that the model for the artwork was Nellie Boustead, one of the former lovers of the Philippine nationalist José Rizal.[2] Boustead was one of the daughters of Eduardo Boustead, the illegitimate son of Edward Boustead, a wealthy British trader, and his Filipina partner who had residences in Biarritz and Paris. She became famously embroiled in a love triangle between her, Rizal, and fellow propagandist (later military general) Antonio Luna that almost led to a duel between the two.[4]
