Manuel Castellano (painter) facts for kids
Manuel Rodríguez de la Parra Castellano (born around 1823 or 1826, died 1880) was a Spanish painter. He was known for his paintings that showed everyday life, especially exciting bullfight scenes. Manuel Castellano also collected many artworks.
A Young Artist's Journey
Manuel Castellano was born in Madrid, Spain. He started learning art at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. This was a famous art school in Madrid.
Later, he worked with another artist named Carlos Luis Ribera. They helped decorate the ceiling of an important building. This building was where the Spanish government's Congress of Deputies met.
Famous Paintings and Awards
Manuel Castellano became well-known for his art. In 1856, he received an award at the first National Exhibition of Fine Arts. This was a big art show in Spain.
His award-winning painting showed picadors getting their horses ready. Picadors are people who help in bullfights. The painting was set at the old bullring in Madrid. It even included famous bullfighters like Paquiro.
Manuel Castellano won more awards later. In 1862, he won a prize for a painting about Luis Daoíz and Pedro Velarde. He won again in 1866 for a painting of Fernando Valenzuela in prison. In 1868, he won for a painting about the death of the Conde de Villamediana.
When he was almost 50, he received money to study art in other countries. He traveled to Rome and Venice in Italy. He also spent a short time studying in Paris, France.
An Amazing Collector
Manuel Castellano was not just a painter. He was also a passionate collector. He gathered one of the first big collections of photographs in Spain.
He collected over 20,000 photographs! These included many portraits of people and beautiful landscape pictures. He kept most of them neatly organized in albums. After he passed away, his collection went to the National Library of Spain. His nephew also sold over 6,000 engravings from Manuel's collection to the museum.
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Castellano para niños
