José María Domínguez Insausti, better known as José Domínguez Bécquer (22 January 1805,

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

- 28 January 1841, Seville) was a Spanish painter in the

Costumbrismo ''Costumbrismo'' (in Catalan: ''costumisme''; sometimes anglicized as costumbrism, with the adjectival form costumbrist) is the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic sce ...

style. He was the father of the famous poet,

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Spanish Romance literature, Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, columni ...

, and the painter

Valeriano Bécquer Valeriano Domínguez Bécquer (15 December 1833 – 23 September 1870) was a Spanish painter and graphic artist, who often worked in the costumbrismo style.Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

family, that had been established in Seville since the 16th century. Originally very wealthy, by the 18th century they had lost their fortune and fame, but retained their noble pride.Jesús Rubio Jiménez, ''José María Domínguez Bécquer'', Secretariado de Publicaciones de la Diputación de Sevilla, 2007 His parents were Antonio Domínguez Bécquer and María Antonia Insausti, from

Lucena Lucena (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of ...

. Later, José would adopt the name Bécquer, in preference to Insausti, as a way of recognizing his family's origins. He studied art at the Escuela de Tres Nobles Artes, where he became lifelong friends with his fellow student,

Antonio María Esquivel Antonio María Esquivel y Suárez de Urbina (8 March 1806 – 9 April 1857) was a Spanish painter in the Romanticism, Romantic style who specialized in portraits.''Arte Español'': Journal of the "Sociedad Española de Amigos del Arte''Estudio y ...

. When he married Joaquina Bastida y Vargas in 1827, Esquivel served as his

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

. They had eight children, including the aforementioned Valeriano and Gustavo. His namesake, José, was born in 1841, after his death. In 1830, he became associated with the Academia de Bellas Artes de Sevilla and established his own studio. From 1837 to 1841, he kept a meticulous record of everything associated with the studio. He socialized with the British painters who visited Spain, such as David Roberts and John Frederick Lewis, and many of his works were sent to England from

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

, with the assistance of the Consul there, John MacPherson Brackenbury (1778-1847). It was often said that his works were better known in England than in Spain. He died suddenly, of undisclosed causes, aged only thirty-six. His cousin,

Joaquín Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981) (Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez) ...

, who had lived with them and been an assistant in the studio, became Valeriano's guardian. He was one of the many artists who contributed illustrations for '' Artistic and Monumental Spain'', a three-volume travel book, under the direction of

Jenaro Pérez Villaamil Jenaro Pérez de Villaamil y d'Huguet (3 February 1807 – 5 June 1854) was a Spanish painter in the Romantic style who specialized in landscapes with figures and architectural scenes. He often inflated the scale of the buildings relative ...

, which was published in 1842.

References

External links

"El "Año de los Bécquer" saca a la luz la obra de padre de Valeriano y Gustavo"
@ ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , ) is a Spanish daily newspaper founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan. It has its headquarters in Barcelona and is Catalonia's leading newspaper. Despite being mostly distributed in Catalonia, ...

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Biographical notes
@ the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

Biographical notes
@ Artehistoria {{DEFAULTSORT:Dominguez Becquer, Jose 1805 births 1841 deaths Spanish painters Spanish genre painters Spanish portrait painters Academy of San Carlos alumni Painters from Seville