Martin Rico y Ortega was born in Madrid, Spain in the year 1833. Ortega became known for his wonderful scenes of Venice.
During the beginning of his career Spain was a political hotbed and the artist actually was more popular outside of his native land than he was in Spain. He gained fame and criticism first in Paris, France and then Venice.
At an early age he learned to draw from his brother who was an accomplished etcher. Ortega went on to attend the Escuela des Belles Artes in Madrid, Spain for his collegiate studies. It was here he learned to paint the landscapes he became famous for. Here a main mentor was Genaro Perez Villaamil. Below is a great example of his style. He was great at capturing movement alongside bodies of water. Perfect for learning to paint Venice!
In 1860 Ortega earned a scholarship to study abroad in Paris. An influence he met here was the French painter Daubigny. In France Ortega was very fond of Barbizon school, and Daubigny was very important figure in this movement. Here we have a great example of the Barbizon school, in many ways similar in composition with the landscape and figures to the Hudson River School. The most important thing to remember about the Barbizon school was that the movement emphasized painting from life.
Ortega first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1864.
Ortega passed away in 1908 at the age of 74. He was living in Venice at the time.
In this clip we see a montage of works by Martin Rico Y Ortega.
Price range information: Ortega was prolific in both watercolour and oils. Oils range in price from $1,000 to $420,000. Watercolours range in price from $5,000 to $10,000.
Other great painters of Venice that I enjoy viewing are of course the master John Singer Sargent. Below is a prime example of Sargent view of Venice. What wonderful colour and composition.
Another wonderful painter of Venice was the late painter Thomas Pradzynski. This artist was well known and loved for landscapes of Paris and Venice done in acrylics. Below is a great example of his work with Venice. He passed away in 2007.
One more great artist did a wonderful series titled Venice in Peril to help raise funds to keep this great city going, Chuck Larivey. I love the way this artist uses light to set a great mood. Very soft edges and muted color. Below a prime example of his series on Venice.
If you have a moment check out Mr. Larivey’s webpage archive and take a browse at some sold works. What a great play of light! I need to get to Venice in order to paint!
http://chucklarivey.com/collections/52151
Try painting Venice today!
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