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38

José Vela Zanetti (1913-1999), Oil Painting, ‘The Sower’

Currency:EUR Category:Collectibles Start Price:2,000.00 EUR Estimated At:3,200.00 - 4,000.00 EUR
José Vela Zanetti (1913-1999), Oil Painting, ‘The Sower’
In this painting, José Vela Zanetti (1913-1999) has chosen one of his typical motifs – the peasant. Zanetti’s portraits are character studies that reflect the rural life in Castile, Zanetti's home, in an impressive way. The distinct and dynamic brushstrokes are a parameter of content in this work, corresponding with the sturdy appearance of the farmer. The particular depiction allows the viewer to approach very close to the farmer - so close, that the farmer’s expressive face and his powerful hands, grasping through the fine grain, are shown to their best advantage. The reduced portrait of the sower corresponds with the flat background. In this painting, Zanetti has not aimed for a faithful reproduction of the image motif, but for the expression of its symbolic content.

The painting of José Vela Zanetti is signed lower right ‘Vela Zanetti’. The condition is good with slight signs of age and wear. The wooden shows some minor blemishes to the edges. The varnished colour surface shows a few long scratches at a closer viewing. The painting was cleaned, retouched and re-framed in 2013. Under UV-light are visible numerous touch-ups, especially at the right hand of the farmer. The overall dimensions, framed, are 113 x 87.5 cm.



José Vela Zanetti (1913-1999)

José Vela Zanetti is one of the most meaningful Spanish artists of the 20th Century. A native of Burgos in northern Spain, Zanetti is also known as representative of ‘Muralismo’ – a special type of wall painting. He completed his art studies in Madrid with his teacher, José Ramon Zaragoza. An educational journey brought him to Italy in 1933. The Spanish Civil War, which broke out in 1936, was to mark him in a cruel manner, because his father was executed because of his socialist political views. In 1939, this event brought Zanetti into exile to the Dominican Republic. There, his great success as a painter and ‘muralist‘ started. He received over 100 commissions for wall paintings from public institutions such as libraries, government buildings and banks. Since 1945, Zanetti also worked as a lecturer at the National Art Academy in Santo Domingo, whose director he became in 1949. With a Guggenheim fellowship in 1951, he spent several years in New York City in the 1950s, where Zanetti's international career began. Also his most well-known work for the UN-headquarters: a wall painting with the title ‘The struggle of humanity for a long-lasting peace’ (La Lucha del Hombre por la Paz) was created in New York. Zanetti spent the end of his life in his birthplace Milagros in the province of Burgos. His later oeuvre shows a mixture of portraits, still lives, landscapes and religious themes.
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