Tomàs Moragas facts for kids
Tomàs Moragas i Torras (born in 1837 in Girona, died on October 20, 1906, in Barcelona) was a Spanish painter. He was well-known for his paintings that showed scenes from the Middle East (called Orientalist art) and everyday life (called genre scenes).
His Life and Art
When Tomàs was a baby, his family moved to Barcelona because of difficult political times. He showed a talent for art early on. He started working with a silversmith to learn the trade. Later, in 1850, he went to an art school called the Escola de la Llotja. His main teachers there were Claudi Lorenzale and Pau Milà i Fontanals.
One of his classmates was Marià Fortuny. Fortuny went to Rome with a special scholarship to continue his studies. He suggested that Tomàs should come to Rome too. In 1858, Tomàs went to Rome, even though he did not have much money. Later, some of his friends from the Escola joined him. They rented a place to paint near the Via Flaminia. He also took classes at the Accademia Chigi. During this time, he walked all around Rome and its nearby areas. He made many sketches that he later turned into oil paintings and watercolors. He then sent these paintings to art dealers in Paris and London.
In 1864, Tomàs returned to Barcelona. He held his first art show at the silversmith's shop where he had worked as a boy. At this time, most of his paintings showed everyday life and customs, a style known as costumbrista art. Two years later, with a recommendation from Fortuny, he showed his art in Madrid. This was at the studios of Federico de Madrazo. The next year, he took part in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts. There, he received a special award called a first-class honorable mention. In 1869, he married Elvira Pomar, who was the daughter of the silversmith.
He then went back to Rome. There, he became very interested in Orientalism, which is art showing scenes from the Middle East. However, a serious illness called cholera spread quickly, forcing him to move to Naples. In Naples, he was influenced by Domenico Morelli, a Naturalist painter who painted things very realistically. In 1870, he and Fortuny visited Morocco. This trip made his interest in the Orient strong again. After a short stay in Barcelona, he was back in Rome in 1873. This began the time when he created the most art.
Fortuny died in 1874. Tomàs's wife, Elvira, also became ill. So, he returned to Barcelona and decided to live there for good. Elvira died in 1877, and he never married again. He opened his own private school for drawing and painting. Famous artists like Santiago Rusiñol and Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa studied there. After 1877, he also worked as a Professor at the Escola. From 1882, he held the same job at the "Escuela de Artes y Oficios" in Vilanova i la Geltrú. In 1883, he started the "Centro de Acuarelistas" (a group for watercolor artists). This group later became the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc. In 1888, he was an artistic advisor for the Barcelona Universal Exposition.
Selected Paintings
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Street Musicians in Rome, 1869
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A Moroccan on horseback, around 1891
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Choosing the Fabric
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Resting Caravan
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People with Cattle
See also
In Spanish: Tomás Moragas para niños
