39 - RICARDO VERDUGO LANDI (Málaga, 1871 - Madrid, 1930).

RICARDO VERDUGO LANDI (Málaga, 1871 - Madrid, 1930). "Marina", 1920. Oil on canvas. Relined. Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Measurements: 115 x 150 cm; 134 x 28. Cm (frame). In this canvas the author offers us a wide panoramic view of the waters of the sea, whose waves rise, showing a sea of dark and solid waters worked with detailed brushstrokes in a wide range of green, purple and blue tones. In the background, the space ends in a clear horizon, which separates the sea from the open sky. Verdugo Landi's undisputed teacher was Emilio Ocón, an outstanding 19th century sailor, whose favorite disciple he was. He soon learned to capture with subtlety the emotions revealed by the landscape, the sea and the horizon, as well as the atmospheres and tonalities. The sea is the absolute protagonist of his work, and his figure as a marine painter began to be recognized in the eighties of the nineteenth century, when his works began to circulate in Malaga. He was a regular participant in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, winning third medals in 1899 and 1906 for the paintings "Oleaje" and "Alta mar", and second medals in 1910 and 1929, for the canvases "Marina" and "Por la ría de Bilbao". He was also awarded an honorable mention in the International Exhibition of Madrid in 1892, which commemorated the IV Centenary of the Discovery of America, for the canvas "Desembarcado". He also stood out in international exhibitions, obtaining second medal in the International of Panama (1916), the great diploma of honor in the Hispano-French of Zaragoza (1919) and second medal in the International of Barcelona (1929). In the same way, multiple individual exhibitions were organized with his work, as in 1921 at the Majestic Hall in Bilbao and that same year at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. He also appeared at the Salones de "El Siglo" in Barcelona in 1923, the Salón Vilches in Madrid in 1928 and, after his death, at the Galerías Layetanas and the Sala Parés in Barcelona. In 1924 he held an exhibition in his hometown, the same year in which he was appointed member of the Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo. In addition to his facet as a consolidated sailor, his important work as a graphic journalist and editor must be highlighted. At the beginning of the nineties he went to Madrid, where he was hired by the newspaper "ABC" to work as a retoucher, a position for which he showed talent and imagination, being promoted by Luca de Tena to artistic director of all the publications of "ABC". He also founded with his brother Francisco the magazines "La Esfera" and "Nuevo Mundo", and also participated with originals in "Blanco y Negro" and "La Vida Moderna". For a period of time he returned to Malaga, where in 1894 he was appointed curator of the city's Museum. However, he resigned from the post in 1897 and returned definitively to Madrid. Verdugo Landi is represented in the Prado Museum, the MACBA of Barcelona, the Museum of Fine Arts and Municipal Heritage of Malaga and the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, among other public and private collections.