Sebastián Gessa y Arias
Sebastián Gessa y Arias (1840, Chiclana de la Frontera - 9 January 1920, San Agustín del Guadalix) was a Spanish painter; known as El pintor de las flores, for his dedication to floral themes, bodegones and still-lifes.
Biography[]
He began his studies at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Cádiz then, in 1864, received a scholarship that enabled him to study in Paris. There, he enrolled at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, where he studied with Alexandre Cabanel. He would remain in Paris until 1870. During that time, he participated in several exhibitions; notably the Exposition Universelle (1867).[1]
When he returned to Spain, he settled in Madrid, where he made a name for himself by the decorative work he performed at the Palacio de Linares, home of , the Marqués de Linares. Much of this work was floral in nature and set the tone for his career.
In 1881, he was awarded a gold medal at the Exposición Regional de Cádiz and presented his first entry at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts. He was awarded a Third Class medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889). His greatest success came in 1897, at the National Exhibition, when he was awarded a First Class prize for his work "Flowers and Fruits". This was the first time that top honors had been given to a bodegón, rather than one of the dramatic historical or mythological scenes the jurors had favored up to that point.[2]
Several well known painters were trained in his workshop, including Fernanda Frances Arribas, , Julia Alcayde y Montoya and Adela Ginés y Ortiz, his favorite student, with whom he lived, after becoming financially distressed. Her death from pneumonia, in 1918, left him destitute.[1]
His works may be seen at the Museo del Prado, Museo de Cádiz, , Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Argentina), and several private collections, such as the in Seville.
References[]
Further reading[]
- Sebastián Gessa Arias. El Pintor De Las Flores, exhibition catalog, Ayuntamiento De Chiclana De La Frontera, 2004 ISBN 978-84-932865-4-5
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sebastián Gessa y Arias. |
- More works by Gessa @ Artnet
- An appreciation and biography @ Chiclana Hoy
- "Un maestro de pintoras magistrales" by Jesús Romero @ El Periódico de Chiclana
- 1840 births
- 1920 deaths
- Spanish painters
- Spanish still life painters
- Spanish floral still life painters
- Spanish bodegón painters
- People from Chiclana de la Frontera