his life in 2 minutes

Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (1838–1874) in bref

Spanish artist with a dazzling career, Mariano Fortuny y Marsal is gifted with a prodigious hand. Capable of masterfully capturing the effects of light, a virtuoso of both oil and watercolor, Fortuny is mainly known as an orientalistheir to a certain romantic ideal. In 1860, he was sent to accompany a military expedition to Morocco. Having fallen in love with the beauty and colors of the Orient, Fortuny became a great traveler and collector of picturesque objects. Cosmopolitan painterbased in Rome, Fortuny owes as much to his talent as to his premature death the cult of which he was the object in Spain at the end of the 19th century^e century. Most of his masterpieces can be found today in the Prado museum in Madrid.

It was said of him

“Fortuny was a worshiper of the sun and nature. » Jean-Charles Davillier

The life of Mariano Fortuny y Marsal in a few dates

Fortuny, a precarious childhood

Mariano Fortuny y Marsal was born in Spain, in Reus (province of Tarragona) on June 11, 1838. His family was in poor condition. The young boy takes drawing lessons in his village’s elementary school. From the age of twelve, orphan of father and motherFortuny is raised by his grandfather. An inventive carpenter who sculpts wax figures, the latter decides to try his luck in Barcelona. The young boy helps his grandfather and gets noticed by a Catalan sculptor who obtained a scholarship for him.

From Barcelona to Rome

For four years, Mariano Fortuny y Marsal took courses at Barcelona Academy of Fine Arts. To supplement his meager pension, he carried out small decorative works for the Church. Thanks to his drawing talents, Fortuny received a pension from the city for go to study in Rome. Later, he would also obtain financial support from Queen Isabella. The young man left Barcelona in 1857 for the Eternal City where he found a community of Castilian artistsand also frequents artists from all over Europe. Until 1859, Fortuny works according to the mastersin particular Velasquez whom he admires.

Fortuny in Africa

In 1859, war broke out between the Sultan of Morocco Abd-er-Rahman and Spain. Barcelona decides to send young Fortuny to Morocco in order to follow the expeditionary force and to immortalize the episodes of the struggle. Mariano Fortuny stays six months in Morocco. He was fascinated and drew many of the scenes that presented themselves to him, traveling through the camps, representing the horses, observing the battles but also the spectacle of oriental life. Returning to Spain at the end of spring 1860, he began two large canvases depicting the episodes of this victorious military epic. In fact, the Barcelona government gave him commissioned a series of large paintings to decorate the Council Chamber of the Palacio de la Diputación.

Fortuny and Paris

Mariano Fortuny decides to carry out his orders in Rome, but he first goes through Paris in order to see The Taking of the Smalah by Horace Vernet (1843) which represents a model of an orientalist history painting. He then sets to work, resting from this great labor by devoting himself to watercolor works. If he painted masterful sketchescountless studies, the large canvases planned remain unfinished… Which forces Fortuny to return the advances he received to the Spanish government. In 1866, the name Fortuny became known in France. His talent was brought to the attention of the publisher Goupil who offered him a contract. Returning to Paris, Fortuny got closer to Ernest Meissonier and experimenting with the etching technique. He also worked alongside Jean-Léon Gérôme, who lent him a workshop.

The workshop in Rome

Confident of finally being independent, Mariano Fortuny returns to settle in Rome. He moved into a studio which quickly became a rallying center for Hispanic and Italian artists. A true cabinet of curiositieswith walls covered in hangings, windows full of objects from Spain or the Orient, the workshop is so well known that it attracts American artists passing through Rome. Without giving up this anchor point, Fortuny resumes his travels (Madrid, Seville, Granada, Morocco, Paris, London, Naples..).

An early end and a famous son

His paintings now fetch high prices. Unfortunately, the 36-year-old artist is broke, on the rise, by malaria. He died in Rome on November 21, 1874, leaving a widow and two children. His son, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo would become a renowned painter, scenographer and textile designer, whose fabulous studio in Venice has now become a museum.

His key works

The Battle of Wad-Ras1860–1861

In 1860, Mariano Fortuny y Marsal was sent by the Barcelona administration as an artist-reporter to Morocco. He must cover the events of the African war. The Spanish (especially the Catalans) fought in the north of the Maghreb against the troops of the Moroccan sultan. Fortuny must undertake studies on nature in order to subsequently honor several historical orders illustrating the glory of the Spanish fighters. If he ultimately fails to achieve this goal, he works toward his return to many sketches very advanced including this one, representing The Battle of Wad-Raswhich he attended a few days after his arrival in Morocco.

The Battle of Tetouan1862–1864

The Battle of Tetouan again represents an episode of the Spanish-Moroccan War in 1860. Showcasing the power of the Catalansembodied by General Prim, this almost panoramic work is marked by an outpouring and an idealization romantic. The artist’s model of inspiration is also very clearly The Taking of the Smalah by Abd-el-Kader by Horace Vernet, seen at Versailles. Fortuny worked for two years on this work without being able to complete it. Here he demonstrates his fascination with colors and lights of the Orient. In 1960, Salvador Dalí paid homage to Fortuny’s work by painting, in turn, The Battle of Tetouan.

Fantasy about Faust1866

Fortuny passionately loves music. In this scene mixing realism and imaginary visionhe remembers a musical evening spent in the workshop of one of his Madrid friends. The musician Joan Baptista Pujol is shown playing a piano Fantasy about Faust of its composition, inspired by Charles Gounod’s opera. The scene bears witness to correspondences between painting and musicthe latter having the propensity to give birth to images, to stimulate the imagination. Méphistophélès, Marguerite…: these characters from Goethe’s universe flutter in the sky like apparitions.