Benet Mercadé Facts for Kids

Benet Mercadé, from
La Llumanera de Nova York (1880)

Benet Mercadé i Fàbrega (born 1821, died 1897) was a talented Catalan painter. He was known for his amazing portraits and paintings of historical events. In Spanish, his name was Benito Mercadé y Fábregas.

Benet Mercadé's Life and Art
Selected paintings
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Benet Mercadé's Life and Art

Early Life and Education

Benet Mercadé was born in a town called La Bisbal d'Empordà. His father was also an artist who painted and added gold leaf to objects, a job called a gilder.

In 1838, Benet moved to Barcelona. He worked as a shoemaker's helper to earn money. At the same time, he started studying art at the Escola de la Llotja. He also did some decorative painting and made early photographs called daguerrotypes.

Later, he went to Madrid to study at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. There, he learned from a famous artist named Carlos Luis de Ribera y Fieve.

Exhibitions and Success

Benet Mercadé had his first big art show in 1852. A year later, he moved to Madrid. In 1858, he showed his art at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts.

He presented two important paintings there. One was about the famous story of Don Quixote. The other was about Christopher Columbus. The Columbus painting earned him a special mention. He continued to show his art at these national exhibitions until 1876.

In 1866, he won a Grand Prize at an art show in Paris. This was for his painting called "Traslación de San Francisco de Asís" (The Passing of Saint Francis of Assisi).

Time in Rome and Later Years

From 1863 to 1869, Benet Mercadé lived in Rome, Italy. He often visited a famous coffee shop called the Antico Caffè Greco. There, he met many other painters and writers from Spain. Some of these artists included Dióscoro Puebla, José Casado del Alisal, Eduardo Rosales, Vicente Palmaroli, Marià Fortuny, and Alejo Vera.

He returned to Barcelona because his eyesight started to get worse. Eventually, he had to stop painting completely. Even so, he became a full professor at the Escola in 1882.

Artistic Style

At first, Benet Mercadé was influenced by the Nazarene movement. This art style focused on religious themes and simple, clear lines. Later, he changed his style to Realism. This meant he painted things as they looked in real life. He often focused on religious and historical subjects in his art.

Benet Mercadé passed away in Barcelona when he was 76 years old. A street in Barcelona is named after him to honor his memory.