Gumersindo Pardo Reguera (1847-1916) - "ah... I Laugh To See Myself So Beautiful..."

Oil on canvas. In the intimacy of a humble alcove, a woman, captivated by her reflection in the mirror, coquettishly pins a carnation in her hair. Toiletries, scattered throughout the small room, lend it the air of an opulent boudoir. The scene, rendered in melancholic shades of blue and playing on a bold chiaroscuro, possesses an absolute candor. Gumersindo Pardo Reguera was a multi-talented Galician figure, renowned as a professor, pharmacist, and painter. After beginning his career as a draftsman, he studied pharmacy with honors at the University of Santiago de Compostela and pursued a teaching career as a chemistry professor in Granada, before returning to A Coruña to teach at the School of Fine Arts and the School of Industrial Arts. He balanced teaching with managing his pharmacy and his work as a health expert, writing analytical reports. As a painter, Pardo Reguera was renowned in Galicia for his religious and historical works, still lifes and genre scenes, as well as his portraits of local figures. His artistic significance extends to his connection with Pablo Picasso's childhood, as his son, Antonio Pardo García, was the young artist's best friend during his time in A Coruña, and the two even painted people from their circle. - Image dimensions without frame: 86 x 60 cm / 97 x 71 cm with a custom-made antique gilt frame.