Studio: international art (85.1923)

THE ART OF DON RICARDO MARIN

ILLUSTRATION TO
44 DON QUIXOTE”
BY RICARDO MARIN

It is interesting to note that this virile
artist is as much at home in the delicate art
of decorating a fan as he is in the larger
drawings. While making the design to fit
the space to be covered, the segment of a
circle, barred across by the radiating lines
of the sticks, he gives us a miniature edition
of his larger work. Incidentally, in the small
space at his disposal, he often gives us a
synthesis of the art and the life of Spain, 0
The leaves of these fans are made of skin
and they are mounted on antique frames.
On the creamy skin the artist has sketched
in pen and ink designs showing the adven-
tures of Don Quixote and the life of the
Spanish people as it was lived in the 18th
and early 19th centuries. We are far away
from the sumptuous fetes galantes that
Conder used to portray so charmingly on
his fans, as far away from the highly decora-
tive designs of George Sheringham. The
principaldesignsare executed bythepen,the
skybeingwashed in with a strong,pure blue,
usually half-hidden by low-lying clouds. 0
One of the most important of these fans
is one belonging to H.M. the Queen of
Spain. The leaf is exceptionally large,
leaving very little of the sticks exposed ; on
the guard is a miniature of Charles III.
The central design shows Don Quixote
defying the windmills, the figure silhouetted
against a cloud-swept sky ; in the left hand
we see the Plaza de Toros and the crowd of
people eager t,o see the show ; further down
is a vista of the Bull Ring with the Espada
giving the final thrust to the infuriated

animal. On the right hand are seen peasants
dancing the typical dances of the country.
The whole scene is so reminiscent of Goya
that we are not surprised to see the figures
of Charles IV. and his strong-minded
Queen, Maria Luisa, walking out to take
their part in the pageant. 000
Another very decorative fan has for its
central design the wounded Picador at the
feet of the “ Cristo Torero ” of Seville,
which has one arm lowered from the Cross,
illustrating a miracle that was said to have
taken place there. Lower down, the Fair of
Seville is shown in a lovely violet haze. 0
Interesting as these designs are from
every point of view, it is, after all, their
purely decorative quality that leaves the
strongest impression. The fans are mounted
on sticks of ivory and mother-of-pearl and
golden filigree, giving them an air of days
that are past; the design is executed in a
manner that is in harmony with the past
and yet which is modern in treatment. It
is essentially modern technique based on
the classic tradition. 0000

Recent additions to the National Gallery
collection include a portrait of Lady
Emilia Kerr by Romney (Room 26), a
portrait of an Italian gentleman by Richard
Wilson, R.A. (Room 25), and a flower-
piece by Fantin-Latour (Room 21). An
important bequest to the Gallery under
the will of Dr. Ludwig Mond, F.R.S.
(ob. 1910) has become operative through
the death of his widow last month. 0

341