José Jiménez Donoso facts for kids
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José Jiménez Donoso was a talented Spanish artist who lived in the 1600s. He was both an architect (someone who designs buildings) and a painter. He was known for decorating many of the buildings he designed. He used a special Italian painting technique called quadratura, which makes flat ceilings and walls look like they have three-dimensional spaces.
Life and Artworks
José Jiménez Donoso learned the basics of art from his father, Antonio Jiménez Donoso, who was also a painter. He continued his studies in Madrid with Francisco Fernández.
Around 1649, when he was about 17, José moved to Rome, Italy. He stayed there for seven years, learning how to paint frescoes. Frescoes are paintings made directly onto wet plaster walls or ceilings. He also studied architecture in Rome, where he was influenced by a famous architect named Francesco Borromini.
Returning to Spain
When José returned to Madrid, he finished his art training with Juan Carreño de Miranda. He tried to become a painter for King Charles II of Spain, but he didn't get the job. This made him quite disappointed. However, he later became an official painter for the Toledo Cathedral. His skill with Italian painting techniques helped him get many other art jobs.
José Jiménez Donoso was buried in the Church of San Luis, a building he had designed himself.
Buildings and Paintings That Remain
Sadly, most of the buildings José Jiménez Donoso designed are no longer standing. Some parts of his work, like the Convento de Santo Tomás and the Church of San Luis Obispo, were lost during a war.
However, the Casa de la Panadería (House of the Bakery) in Madrid is still standing. José helped decorate it after a fire in 1672.
Most of his paintings are frescoes done in the Italian style. Before his time, many churches in Spain had plain white walls or simple patterns. José Jiménez Donoso and another artist named Claudio Coello were among the first to paint detailed scenes from the Bible on the walls and ceilings of chapels. Many of these beautiful works were also lost during the war.
Some of his other works, like paintings for Queen Marie Louise d’Orléans at the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, are also gone. He helped decorate the Miracle Chapel at the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales, but it's hard to tell exactly which parts he painted.
Luckily, some of his altar paintings have survived. We also have three oil paintings he made that show parts of the life of Saint Francis of Paola. The only known portrait he painted of a person is of Juan José de Austria, which is now in the Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer.
See also
In Spanish: José Jiménez Donoso para niños
