Cecilio Plá facts for kids
Cecilio Plá y Gallardo (born November 22, 1860 – died August 4, 1934) was a talented Spanish painter and illustrator. He is known for his beautiful paintings, especially those showing everyday life and scenes from Italy. He also taught art for many years and helped many young artists learn their craft.
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About Cecilio Plá
Cecilio Plá was born in Valencia, a city in Spain. When he was a child, he first studied music. This was because his father was a bandleader at a big theater called Teatro Principal. But Cecilio soon realized he wanted to be an artist instead.
He then began studying art. He went to the Instituto San Pablo and later to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos. In 1879, he won a Silver Medal at an art show in Valencia. This encouraged him to move to Madrid with a friend. There, he joined the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. He became a student of a famous painter named Emilio Sala.
Travels and Early Art
The next year, Cecilio traveled a lot. He visited Portugal, France, and Italy. He then decided to live in Rome, Italy. From Rome, he sent many paintings back home to Spain. Most of these paintings showed scenes of everyday life. This style of art is called Costumbrismo. His work at this time was influenced by another great painter, Marià Fortuny.
Some of his paintings were shown at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts. He won medals in 1884 and 1887 for his paintings about Italian life. Over the next twenty years, he won many more awards. He even won a Medal of Honor at the big Exposition Universelle (1900) in Paris. From 1893 to 1910, he also drew pictures for popular magazines. These included La Ilustración Española y Americana and Blanco y Negro.
Teaching and Later Life
In 1910, Cecilio Plá started a new career. He became an art teacher at the Academy of San Fernando. He took over his old teacher Emilio Sala's position. He taught a class called "Color Aesthetics and Painting Procedures." He continued teaching until he retired in 1931. In 1924, he was named an Academician. This meant he was a respected member of the academy.
Because he spent so much time teaching, he painted less. One of his most famous students was Juan Gris, who became a very important artist. Cecilio also wrote a book called "Pictorial Art Primer."
Besides his paintings and drawings, Cecilio Plá worked on many public art projects. He finished some work that Sala had started at the Casino de Madrid. He also created decorations for the Círculo de Bellas Artes. Cecilio Plá passed away in Madrid when he was 73 years old.
Selected paintings
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Verbena
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Hiding
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Honeymoon
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Lady on the Beach
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The Fly
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See also
In Spanish: Cecilio Pla para niños
