September 2008

The two stamps that make up this issue depict self portraits of painters Antonio Maria Esquivel and Darío de Regoyos.

Antonio María Esquivel

Antonio Maria Esquivel y Suarez de Urbina (Seville, 1806-madrid, 1857), began his art studies in the Academy of Fine Arts of Seville (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Sevilla). In 1831 he moved to Madrid and became member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. He also played an active role in 1837 in the foundation of the Liceo Artístico y Literario. He was appointed court painter in 1843 and member of the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1847. Although the painter took part in many of the predominant historical trends of Madrid in the XIX century under the eclectic movement and also developed the genre painting, he specialised in portraits and romantic themes and obtained recognition for his work as a portrait painter. His drawing techniques, as well as his mastery of light and colour, where unbeatable by his contemporaries.

Darío de Regoyos

Painter Darío de Regoyos (Ribadesella 1857– Barcelona 1913) moved to Madrid where he became member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1878. He was educated with Belgian landscape painter Carlos de Haes, who advised him to enrol in the École Royale des Meaux-Arts in Brussels. After a couple of exhibitions in Belgium his painting developed from naturalism to impressionism and pointillism and his favourite themes were rural and urban landscapes. He’s one of the first Spanish painters to be involved in the European artistic movements. Regoyos, with his technique, came to master colour and contrast of light.

The self portrait of Esquivel dates from 1847 and belongs to the Fundación Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid and the painting of Regoyos, from 1895, belongs to the Museum of Fine Arts in Asturias.