Family embrace in painting “George Flaker”.

Sharjah: Osman Hassan

Joaquín Espalder (1809 – 1880) was a famous Spanish painter who spent most of his life in the province of Catalonia/Madrid, known primarily for his portraits and historical scenes. Joaquin was born into a wealthy family, as his father was a merchant from Barcelona. The family lived in Steges to escape the war between Madrid and Barcelona almost three centuries ago. Between 1823 and 1828, he decided to devote himself to painting.

Joaquin was well known as a portrait painter and was very popular among the local bourgeoisie for his simple and direct style. In addition to his many paintings he created decorations for the Spanish Theater (1848) and painted murals for the Universitat Central (1853-1858) and the Palacio de Congreso de Deputatos.

Joaquin was one of the favorite artists of the burgeoning bourgeoisie in the nineteenth century, so he knew how to capture his scenes in an authentic and precise manner based on details, and in a style that can be defined as pre-romantic rather than romantic. 1856, (Bonaventura Carles Arribo) 1844, and (Jorge Flaker Family) 1845, all in art museums spread across Spain, including the Catalan National Museum of Art.

* Love

This painting, preserved in the Museo de la Romantica in Madrid (The Family of Jorge Flaker), is considered one of his most famous drawings by public and critical acclaim.

After a brief stay at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, Joaquin moved to Paris in 1829 to study with Antoine-Jean Gros, then established his own style of painting in Rome in 1833, where he became part of the Catalan group. Joaquin expressed his admiration for Renaissance Italian painting more than once, including painters Claudio Lorenzal and Pellegri Clavi associated with the romantic movement «Nazaría» with German roots.

Joaquin visited Tuscany several times, and in 1839, presented several works at a major exhibition in Florence, Italy.

In 1842 he settled in Madrid and was appointed Academician of the Intellectual Property of Fine Arts in San Fernando, and in 1847, with Federico Madraso and the writer Eugenio de Ochoa (Renaissance), he founded the art magazine Queen Isabel II. He was made an honorary court painter, and in 1860, he was appointed professor of art at the High School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving.

This painting (The Family of Jorge Flaquer) is a portrait of the family of banker Don Jorge Flaquer Petrián in a room. On the wall of the room above is a portrait of an elderly man named Don Jaime Ciriola, Donna’s father. Josepha Siriola Castilla. From left to right, Don Jorge is seated in the painting, covering himself with a green and red robe, and his son Mariano stands beside him, wearing a black coat and holding his left hand. She appears in the painting, wearing a square patterned dress, while her younger sister Eliza, in a gray dress, appears in the painting as she sits in front of a grand piano, on the edge of a chair where her sister Sophia sits. , also appears in the film. As for the mother, Donna Josefa, she is dressed in black and holds a handkerchief in her hands.

Behind a group photo of the family, a simple wardrobe is visible in the family’s home in Madrid on Carretas Street.

This painting by Joaquin represents an exceptional work designed by the artist with impeccable craftsmanship in terms of harmonious colors, and his brilliance in achieving a painting with a great range of color quality that reflects a clear craftsmanship in the general landscape of the painting.

* Exactly the same

The artist was keen to show the family in its natural form, i.e. without affectation or artificiality. This is evidenced by the sobriety of the room and its furniture, which corresponded to that prevailing among the new bourgeoisie of the time. Seeks to follow the tradition of aristocracy and is keen to establish itself through adornments or accessories adorned with elements of luxury and style. In the end it creates a direct document to identify the daily decoration that families decorate, and the artist in this picture does not offer any kind of memoir, but instead wants to offer a work of more realistic paintings.

This is the first painting with which the artist thought to start his project, and it is one of the most beautiful testimonies of the development of personal life with its special intimacy in the new capitalist society, as the artist likes to say: “This is the family of George Flaker, this is Eliza Flaker, the youngest daughter of the family, she is Don Miguel de la Vega -Married Inclan, and in 1858, gave birth to their first son, Benigno.

* Background

Jorge Flaker’s family enjoyed widespread fame throughout Spain, and this fame inspired more than one artist to draw upon its members. Josefa and Jorge Fleger appear in a painting by Antonio Esquivel, in addition to a bust of their daughter Sofia by Pedro Harticosa and other painters. .