New-York tribune., 1896-03-29
LOSE VILLEGAS.
THE PAINTER OF PALM SUNDAY IN OLD
VENICE"

VENICE"
The school Of painting founded by Mariana
Fortuny. and developed by him in Spain and
Rome, has had in Jose villegas one Of Its strong.
est and most conspicuous pillars This artist
was q young man when he fell under the infiu.
once OF the master. and he formed himself upon
Fortuny's style; but he had from the beginning
abundant originality and an enthusiasm for the
old masters The result has been that his work
has carried on the tradition Of Fortuny without
imitation. without loss OF vitality. On the con.
trary Villegas has increased In power year after
year and the art which has produced the beauti-
ful picture of palm Sunday IN Old Venice" which
has revived upon canvas the regal splendors OF
the "Incoronaz.one della Dogaressa Foscari" %
TO-DAY in its prime, and potent for ircalculable
good in the school TO which the painter belongs.
villegas was born In Seville In 1stS. He studied
for a time In the academy Of his native town, and
then went TO Madrid From the Spanish capital
he drifted to Rome. where Fortuny was already
established. and where the latter was steadily
gaining in power and influence. Villegas had
little OF the son,bre Imagination which has 20
often been noted In Spanish art Like Fortuny
he was in love with the sun. and like Fortuny
again he was delighted with v'vaciously
picturesque theme, with a flashing bit Of coo.
dainty eplsode He used the technique Of his
master a technique rich in qualities OF supple
ness rapidity and precision. AS he looked about
him in Rome, as he explored Venice and set to
work painting the canals and palaces OF the lat
ter CITY, the depth Of Italian art was revealed to
him and he began to study historical themes He
has been studying them, painting them, eve
since through all the later years OF his life
Fortune has been kind to vilIegas. and some
time ago he was enabled TO carry out scheme
such as every artist dreams OF and one man IN nve
hundred IL permitted TO realize. He built huge
villa for himself just outside Rome. 1t is q Moor.
amid relies of medieval beauty and with the
Roman landscape within his reach with venice
not many hours away, Villegas mas devoteo
himself to the production OF great spectacuia!
canvases varying his labors by the occasionat
designing Of some small and dainty picture but
concentrating his efforts almost exclusively upon
works like the Palm Sunday In Ola Venice,
which Is reproduced this page. Iney are
spectacular but they have not the meretricl0us
Qualities usually implied by that epithet rms
artist has studied the pageantry OF historic
Italy, not merely In the writings OF the re
nassance but in the light OF what I1tian mas
done of what Carpaccjo and GozZoli have pro-
duced Of the best art as we'll as the best iitera-
ture of the times he loves to paint lie Is one
Of the rare artists whose devotion 10 extraoroI-
narily subtle and complicated systems OK tecn'
niaue has never changed their humble and In
ouiring attitude before the masters OF the golden
age Vllegas Is Of the technical virtuosl OK
modern art. but he is 70 this day an assiouous
student Of VelaZquez. Titan and Vtronese. Nos
merely In the costumes OF his pictures does ne
seek to emulate the old masters. He cultivatee
their spirit and It heghtens the significance OF
a picture like Palm Sunday in Old Venice"
painting Of utra-modern tecnnique ano ., ,,,. Su,
OF a profound devotion to the masterpieces OK
early italian art.