At some of the exhibitions I visit, as soon as I walk in, I really don’t know where to look; there are so many beautiful things to see that I don’t want to miss a thing. Sometimes exhibitions are organised to mark a special event or anniversary, and the Customs House is a particularly fitting venue for such displays. Everything is immaculately maintained, down to the very last detail.
Each of the rooms is decorated in a unique way; the walls change colour, and even the layout changes, with partition walls moved to create a new and original route. The effort they put into every exhibition is worthy of the venue. For me, it is one of the most beautiful museums I have ever visited, and although most of the exhibitions are permanent—such as the fine arts and archaeology displays, plus the restoration workshop—there are always spectacular new things to see.
This year marks a special anniversary for the San Telmo School of Fine Arts, and I’ve already mentioned this in another post, but this magnificent exhibition, which traces the school’s origins and its development over the years, was beautifully decorated. The decorations consisted of more art.
Antique paintings from the museum of fine arts and stunning sculptures dotted throughout the exhibition accompanied visitors, delighting them with exquisite art in every annexe and even the smallest of rooms. Every detail had been carefully considered, and today I’d like to share these decorations with you.
It is art steeped in tradition, history and good taste; although it is, so to speak, an ancient or classical art form, it always brings back memories for me. Many of the paintings remind me of a style of painting I used to have; I learnt by copying, and my teacher Gloria was truly a genius. Whenever I watched her paint, firstly it was very relaxing, and secondly, when she finished, I didn’t know if it was a painting or a photograph. Her style was hyper realistic.
As most of the sculptures were purely decorative, they had no names, only a few did, such as the first one you can see right at the entrance to the exhibition. It was also interesting to see that they had perfectly interspersed paintings and sculptures, with the latter situated at the entrance to each different section of the exhibition and the paintings inside the annexes. Of the latter, most had a name or some reference.
View of the Port of Málaga, 1889, Francisco Rojo Mellado, oil on canvas.
This sculpture had no name, but because of the expression on the face and the pose, it is my favourite.
Nocturnal Landscape, Antonio Muñoz Degrain, oil on canvas.
Portrait of Mrs Abella, 1885, Antonio Muñoz Degrain, oil on canvas.
Wandering through the corridors of the enormous hall, which was itself divided into smaller rooms, was a real pleasure, especially when seeing sculptures as beautiful as this one. It had no name, but the craftsmanship is excellent.
Maternity, undated, plaster sculpture. It is a closed composition in which the woman envelops the child as a sign of protection. It is a beautiful piece located within the San Telmo School of Art, but it lacks attribution or a date and has been used as a training model for teaching sculpture. It appears to date from the first half of the 20th century.
Although I like the whole sculpture, when I saw the details of the hands and how the embrace is expressed, I focused on that. Beautiful.
Immaculate Virgin, undated, polychrome wood carving, carved and gilded wooden base.
Another work preserved within the school, for which there is no documentation, forms part of Malaga’s cultural heritage and has also served educational and technical purposes. According to information displayed beside it, it may be a copy of a work created by Fernando Ortíz in 1756, which is now housed in the city’s Municipal Museum.
Many of the sculptures on display there were imposing, large-scale pieces. This design is beautiful: plaster vases, turned or sculpted to perfection.
This sculpture of a boy sitting down and, I believe, picking a spot, has a very natural expression, as if the model had been real and someone had gradually created this beauty.
Sketch for the Golden Gate, 1900, José Moreno Carbonero, oil on canvas.
The Invincible (replica), c. 1900–1910, José Gartner de la Peña, oil on canvas. I’ve always loved paintings with maritime themes, so I couldn’t leave this one out.
Two more sculptures, each beautiful in its own style, with perfect poses, as well as dimensions and scale; above all, I love seeing the finely rendered musculature and the facial expressions.
Portrait of a Young Girl, between 1780 and 1900, Joaquín Martínez de la Vega Cisneros, oil on canvas.
Mouth of the River Escalada and View of the Port of Málaga.
These two works are beautiful; they are by Emilio Ocón y Rivas, painted in 1890 and 1891, both in oil on canvas.
Still Life with a Cup and a Basket of Figs, 1897, Antonio Galbién y Messeguer, oil on canvas.
Although it is a very dark painting, I like the way it is executed.
Maja, 1876, Serafín Martínez del Rincón, oil on canvas. A very old and beautiful work, somewhat classical, which reminds me of many painters from whom I have learnt a great deal.
I am delighted to share these spectacular works of art which, although not contemporary, are steeped in history and form part of the legacy of this great school. I felt they were the perfect and most fitting choice to decorate the exhibition.
Thank you very much for joining me today; I wish you all a very happy Sunday. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
