Fernando Selma facts for kids
Fernando Selma (born in Valencia in 1752, died in Madrid on January 8, 1810) was a talented Spanish artist. He was known for his amazing skills as an engraver and illustrator. Engraving is a way of creating pictures by cutting designs into a surface, usually metal, so that they can be printed.
Contents
Fernando Selma's Life and Art
Early Training and Awards
Fernando Selma started learning art at a young age. He studied with a teacher named Ignacio Vergara at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia. This was a famous art school.
In 1768, when he was just 16, King Charles IV gave him a special scholarship. This allowed him to continue his studies in Madrid at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. There, he learned drawing from Francisco Bayeu and engraving from Manuel Salvador Carmona.
Fernando was very good at art. Just one year later, he won awards from the Academy for both drawing and engraving. In 1780, he was named an "Academician of Merit" by the Valencia Academy. This means he was recognized as a highly skilled artist. The Madrid Academy gave him the same honor in 1783.
Working for the Royal Family
Fernando Selma's father-in-law, Jerónimo Antonio Gil, was an important person in the art world. He founded the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City. He wanted Fernando to lead the engraving classes there.
However, in 1786, just before he was supposed to leave, Fernando decided to stay in Madrid. He had many important projects to work on at the Royal Printing Office. This office printed official documents and books for the king.
Famous Books and Illustrations
Fernando Selma was an expert in different types of engraving, like chalcography and intaglio. These are ways to make prints from metal plates. He worked on many big book projects.
One of his most famous works was for the book Don Quixote. This classic Spanish novel was published in 1780. Fernando created seven illustrations for it, including the very first picture in the book (called a frontispiece). He also designed some of the small pictures at the start of chapters. He based these on drawings by other artists like José del Castillo.
He also made illustrations for other important books. These included The Conspiracy of Catiline by Sallust and the History of the Conquest of Mexico by Antonio de Solís. For the Mexican history book, he even created a portrait of Hernán Cortés, a famous explorer.
Portraits and Maps
Fernando Selma also created portraits for a series called Portraits of Illustrious Spaniards. He drew famous people like the writer Lope de Vega and Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote.
After 1786, he started working on the Maritime Atlas of Spain. This was a collection of maps of the sea. Some people thought he should stick to historical art instead of technical maps. But Fernando replied that he preferred to make useful images rather than just pretty ones.
In 1789, a group called the "Company for the Engraving of the King's Paintings" was started. Fernando helped them make copies of famous paintings by artists like Anthony van Dyck and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. In 1799, King Charles officially named him the "Court Engraver." This was a very important job, showing how much the king valued his talent.
