Ricardo de los Ríos facts for kids
Ricardo de los Ríos (born in 1846 in Valladolid, Spain – died in 1929 in Madrid, Spain) was a talented Spanish artist. He was a painter, an engraver, an etcher (someone who makes art by scratching designs onto metal plates), and an illustrator (someone who draws pictures for books). He spent many of his younger years working in Paris, France.
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Early Life and Training
Ricardo de los Ríos studied painting in Paris. He learned from a famous artist named Isidore Pils. This was at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, a very important art school.
His first artworks included many different subjects. He painted exciting battle scenes and detailed portraits of people. He also created still-lifes (paintings of objects like fruit or flowers) and pictures of indoor spaces. He even copied famous paintings by older masters to learn from them.
Becoming a Professional Artist
Ricardo de los Ríos had his first art show in 1867. This was at the famous Paris Salon, a big art exhibition. Just three years later, he opened his own art studio. It was located on the Boulevard du Montparnasse in Paris.
Most of Ricardo de los Ríos's art was made using etching. Etching is a special way to create prints. He worked with a group of etchers led by Alfred Cadart. Cadart started a group called the Société des Aquafortistes. Ricardo de los Ríos might have even taken lessons from one of its members. Many of his etchings were shown in Cadart's art books between 1876 and 1881.
Exhibitions and Recognition
Ricardo de los Ríos became a member of the Société des Artistes Français. This was another important art group in France. He showed his art at their Salon until 1899. He also exhibited with the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1890 to 1894.
He won a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889) in Paris. This was a huge world's fair. He also had a small display of his art at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. For several years, a well-known art dealer called Knoedler represented his work in the United States.
Return to Spain and Later Work
In 1899, Ricardo de los Ríos moved back to Spain. He became a professor of engraving in Madrid. He taught at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. He took over from another artist named José María Galván. After returning to Spain, he didn't create much new original artwork.
Ricardo de los Ríos is best known for his etched illustrations. He drew pictures for classic books by famous writers. These included Cervantes (who wrote Don Quixote), Victor Hugo, Balzac, and Alain-René Lesage. He also made engraved portraits of important people. These included Garibaldi (a famous Italian leader) and Pasteur (a scientist). He also drew portraits of his fellow Spanish artists.
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo de los Ríos para niños
