Joaquin Cuadras
Encyclopedia
Joaquín Cuadras was a Cuban
painter.
In 1861 Cuadras met fellow artist Walter Goodman
whilst copying Old Master
paintings at the Uffizi
palace in Florence
and the two became friends. They travelled to Barcelona
in 1862 and arrived in London
a year later.
In 1864 he sat for Walter Goodman's mother, the portrait painter Julia Goodman
. Later that year he travelled to Cuba
with Walter Goodman.
After returning from Cuba in 1870, Cuadras moved to Selkirk in Scotland
for three years where he found work decorating mansions for the Scottish elite. One of his most important commissions was a series of eight panel pictures illustrating Sir Walter Scott
's The Lay of the Last Minstrel.
Many of his best works were exhibited at galleries in Glasgow
and Edinburgh
.
Cuadras was represented at the Royal Academy in 1872 by his painting Mulatto Girl's Toilette, a Scene in Cuba (sold at Sotheby's, New York in 2010) and the following year he contributed two engravings The Cuban Lovers and The Mulatto Girl to The Graphic
magazine. In 1874 he exhibited Return the Christening a painting of a scene in Venice with a christening party landing from a gondola at International Exhibition of Fine Arts in London.
Between 1868 and 1869 Cuadras was director of Academia de Dibujo de Santiago de Cuba
. In 1876 he won a silver medal in an exhibition at Liceo Artístico y Literario de La Habana. He won a bronze medal in 1877 in the los juegos florales of the Liceo de Matanzas
. Four of his notable Cuban works were Como de Médicis, Río Baconao, Orfila Coronado Por Una Diosa (1874), and Lección de Anatomía - the whereabouts of which are unknown today. There are examples of Cuadras' work in the Museo Bacardi in Santiago de Cuba.
Joaquín Cuadras died in Rome in January 1877.
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
painter.
In 1861 Cuadras met fellow artist Walter Goodman
Walter Goodman
Walter Goodman was a British painter, illustrator and author.The son of British portrait painter Julia Salaman and London linen draper and town councillor, Louis Goodman , he studied with J. M. Leigh and at the Royal Academy in London, where he was admitted as a student in 1851...
whilst copying Old Master
Old Master
"Old Master" is a term for a European painter of skill who worked before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. An "old master print" is an original print made by an artist in the same period...
paintings at the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
palace in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and the two became friends. They travelled to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1862 and arrived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
a year later.
In 1864 he sat for Walter Goodman's mother, the portrait painter Julia Goodman
Julia Goodman
Julia Goodman née Salaman was a British portrait painter.The daughter of Simeon Kensington Salaman and Alice Cowan, she was one of fourteen siblings and first studied painting under Robert Faulkner, himself a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds...
. Later that year he travelled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
with Walter Goodman.
After returning from Cuba in 1870, Cuadras moved to Selkirk in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for three years where he found work decorating mansions for the Scottish elite. One of his most important commissions was a series of eight panel pictures illustrating Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's The Lay of the Last Minstrel.
Many of his best works were exhibited at galleries in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Cuadras was represented at the Royal Academy in 1872 by his painting Mulatto Girl's Toilette, a Scene in Cuba (sold at Sotheby's, New York in 2010) and the following year he contributed two engravings The Cuban Lovers and The Mulatto Girl to The Graphic
The Graphic
The Graphic was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Limited....
magazine. In 1874 he exhibited Return the Christening a painting of a scene in Venice with a christening party landing from a gondola at International Exhibition of Fine Arts in London.
Between 1868 and 1869 Cuadras was director of Academia de Dibujo de Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
. In 1876 he won a silver medal in an exhibition at Liceo Artístico y Literario de La Habana. He won a bronze medal in 1877 in the los juegos florales of the Liceo de Matanzas
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
. Four of his notable Cuban works were Como de Médicis, Río Baconao, Orfila Coronado Por Una Diosa (1874), and Lección de Anatomía - the whereabouts of which are unknown today. There are examples of Cuadras' work in the Museo Bacardi in Santiago de Cuba.
Joaquín Cuadras died in Rome in January 1877.