Juan Fernández el Labrador facts for kids

Juan Fernández, often called El Labrador (which means "The Farmer"), was a Spanish painter who lived in the 1600s. He was active between 1629 and 1636. He became very famous for his beautiful still life paintings, especially those showing fruits and flowers. A still life is a painting of objects that don't move, like a bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers.

Who Was El Labrador?

A Mysterious Artist

Juan Fernández was a bit of a mystery! He lived away from the main city and royal court. Instead, he focused on painting flowers and fruits, especially grapes. His paintings became so good that he earned an international reputation, meaning people all over the world knew his work.

An art historian named Antonio Palomino wrote a little about "Juan Labrador Painter Illustrious." He thought Juan might have learned from another painter, Luis de Morales. Palomino believed Juan Labrador died in Madrid around 1600, but this date is likely incorrect given other records.

Paintings for Kings and Queens

Juan Fernández's paintings were so popular that even important people wanted them. Sir Arthur Hopton, a British diplomat in Spain, wrote letters between 1629 and 1635 about trying to buy paintings from El Labrador. It was often hard to get his works!

In 1635, Hopton mentioned that he had asked Fernández to paint flowers. He said, "If they are as good as his fruits, his lordship must send for some of them." This shows how highly his fruit paintings were valued.

At least two of his paintings even went to Charles I of England. One of these, called Still life with grapes, quince and nuts, is still part of the British Royal Collection today. This painting, along with a vase signed "the farmer Ju ° fernandez 1636," are the only works we are absolutely sure he painted. These two pieces helped experts understand his unique style and identify other paintings by him.

His Unique Painting Style

Juan Fernández was influenced by a style called Caravaggisti. This means he used strong contrasts between light and dark, a technique called chiaroscuro. He would place his objects on dark, black backgrounds. Then, he would use a bright, focused light to highlight the objects.

He painted with incredible detail, almost like Flemish painters. He made humble objects look very important and real in his art. His international fame grew even more when one of his paintings went to the French court. It was given to Anne of Austria, who was the sister of Philip IV of Spain and the wife of Louis XIII of France.

More Than Just Grapes

While he was famous for grapes, Juan Fernández also painted other fruits and flowers. There are even records of a landscape painting by him. A landscape is a painting of natural scenery, like mountains or fields.

In 1671, an inventory of a collection mentioned a landscape painting by "Labrador" with grapes and apricots. This suggests that even though most of his known works are still lifes, he might have painted other types of scenes too. In 1747, a detailed list from the Royal Palace of Madrid mentioned a portrait of a philosopher attributed to Labrador. This painting, called Philosopher writing, is now part of the Museo del Prado collection, but it is displayed at the University of Seville.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Fernández el Labrador para niños