Ricardo Balaca facts for kids
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Ricardo Balaca y Orejas-Canseco (born December 31, 1844 – died February 12, 1880) was a Spanish painter and illustrator. He was especially good at painting exciting battle scenes. His brother, Eduardo Balaca, was also a famous painter.
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Ricardo Balaca's Early Life and Training
Ricardo Balaca was born in Lisbon, Portugal. His father, José Balaca, was also a painter. His father was living in Lisbon for a short time because of political reasons in Spain.
Ricardo started learning art in his family's workshop. Later, he studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. There, he learned from a famous artist named Federico de Madrazo. Ricardo showed his talent very early. When he was only thirteen, he had his first art show at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts. He even received a special "honorable mention" award!
Painting Battles and Stories
Ricardo Balaca created many drawings, illustrations, and portraits (paintings of people). But he is best known for his dramatic paintings of battles. He painted these in a style called Romantic style, which focused on strong emotions and exciting events.
During the Third Carlist War in Spain, Ricardo worked as a special artist. He traveled with the army of King Alfonso XII to the northern battlefields. He captured the scenes of war in his art. Some of his most famous historical battle paintings include the Battle of Almansa and the Battle of Bailén. The painting of the Battle of Almansa was first shown in the Palacio de las Cortes, a very important building.
Ricardo also drew pictures for a special edition of the famous book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. This book was published after Ricardo's death. It seems he drew most of the nearly 300 pictures for the book. Later editions also gave credit to another artist, Josep Lluís Pellicer.
Ricardo Balaca passed away in Madrid when he was 35 years old.
Images for kids
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Signature in pencil on one of his watercolor drawings
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Lady in the living room
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Illustration from Don Quixote
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The Battle of Almansa
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Dancing Chaplains
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Portrait of his wife, Teresa Vergara
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See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Balaca para niños
