30 - CECILIO PLÁ GALLARDO (Valencia, 1860 – Madrid, 1934).

CECILIO PLÁ GALLARDO (Valencia, 1860 – Madrid, 1934). “Male Figure.” Oil on panel. Signed and inscribed. Measurements: 32 x 34 cm; 52 x 54 cm (frame). Cecilio Pla began his training at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia, later continuing his studies at the San Fernando Academy in Madrid, where he studied under Emilio Sala. In 1880, he undertook a study trip to Rome, visiting Italy, France, and Portugal. From there, he began submitting works to the National Fine Arts Exhibitions, winning third prize in 1884 for his Italian-themed work “Dante: The Circle of the Avaricious,” and with a second medal in 1887 for the religious painting titled “The Burial of Saint Leocadia.” In 1892, he again won a second medal for the realistic painting with a social theme “The Twelve (Lunch),” and the same award in 1895 for a scene of marital discord in a bourgeois interior, “Bond of Union.” Pla continued to participate in the National Exhibitions throughout his life, earning a first-prize nomination in 1910 for the painting “Two Generations,” characterized by the varied effects of natural light that were this artist’s true specialty. That same year, 1910, he replaced his former teacher Emilio Sala in the class on color aesthetics and painting techniques 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 participated in international competitions, winning a medal of honor at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair. In 1924, he was named a member of the San Fernando Academy. He balanced his teaching career with painting, while also working as an illustrator for publications such as “La Ilustración Española y Americana,” “Blanco y Negro,” and “La Esfera.” He also created posters, such as the one for the 1892 Carnival of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, and participated in mural decorations, notably the ceiling of the hotel belonging to Infanta Isabel de Borbón, the Casino de Madrid, the Círculo de Bellas Artes, and the palace of the Dukes of Denia. Considered the leading figure of Valencian Modernist painting, he nevertheless embraced various artistic trends, ranging from the academicism and costumbrismo of his early years to the Wagnerian and Luminist styles evident in his coastal views painted in Valencia. Currently, Cecilio Pla’s work is represented in the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of Valencia, Zaragoza, Santander, and Bilbao, the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Valencia City Hall, 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 dedicated an extensive retrospective to him.