Alonso Miguel de Tovar facts for kids
Alonso Miguel de Tovar (1678–1752) was a talented Spanish baroque painter. He became a special painter for King Philip V of Spain in 1723.
Early Life and Art Training
Alonso Miguel de Tovar was born in 1678 in a town called Higuera de la Sierra, near Aracena, in Spain. His family was not very rich, but they were part of a well-known family.
He learned how to paint in Seville from two teachers, Juan Antonio Ossorio and Juan Antonio Fajardo. He painted many religious pictures during this time. Some of his famous early works include Our Lady of Consolation with Saints Francis, James and a Clerical Donor (painted in 1720) which is in the Seville Cathedral. Another one is St Francis Receiving the Stigmata (around 1720), which you can see in the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid.
In his paintings, you can see the influence of another famous painter named Murillo. Tovar used bright colors, and his drawings were very clear, though sometimes a bit stiff. His religious paintings showed a gentle and simple feeling of faith.
Becoming a Royal Painter
In 1729, Alonso Miguel de Tovar was chosen to be a "court painter" for King Felipe IV. This meant he would paint for the king and his family. He took the place of another painter named Teodoro Ardemans.
When the Spanish royal court moved to Seville, Tovar went with them. There, he worked with a French painter named Jean Ranc. Tovar likely made copies of Ranc's portraits. Tovar also painted his own portraits, like Portrait of a Young Girl from 1732, which is now in Germany.
In 1733, Tovar traveled back to Madrid with the royal court. He might have worked as an assistant to another painter, Louis-Michel van Loo. Tovar also painted a popular subject called the Holy Shepherd. This theme was very liked by artists in Seville at the time. Only one of these paintings, signed in 1748 and found in a church near Aracena, is known to be truly his.
Alonso Miguel de Tovar returned to Madrid in 1734 and passed away there in 1752.
See also
In Spanish: Alonso Miguel de Tovar para niños
