Francisco López-salas (1884-1956) - The Kitchen Maid

Oil on canvas. Original canvas. Signed and dated. An impeccable scene, inspired by the regionalist trope so frequent in Spanish figurative painting of the first half of the 20th century, which exalts traditional values, both social and artistic: a young woman, probably a maid, smiles in a kitchen laden with fruits and vegetables. Dressed in an outfit inspired by the typical costumes of central Spain, and radiant with joy at such abundance, this anonymous figure reminds us, in the midst of the post-war period – the work is signed in 1946 – of the hardships and suffering caused by hunger and poverty, illustrating the proverb "Better to be raised in a good house than to rule in a bad one." The freshness and richness that the work initially exudes reveal, upon closer inspection, a fatalistic interpretation of a resolutely conservative character. Francisco López Salas was a renowned Spanish painter, an exceptional heir to the magnificent pictorial technique of the most brilliant generation of 19th-century Spanish artists. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in his native city of Córdoba, and later at the Santa Isabel de Hungría School of Fine Arts in Seville, López Salas absorbed the academic tradition, developing meticulous skill and absolute mastery of drawing and composition. His work, which encompasses portraiture, still life, and landscape, is characterized by a vibrant realism and limpid light, reminiscent of the 19th-century masters of naturalism. Beyond the Andalusian influence, his technique demonstrates remarkable virtuosity in the handling of oil paint, allowing him to create an aesthetic universe of great beauty and serenity, and making him an essential link between historical academicism and contemporary figurative art. - Image dimensions without frame: 90 x 100 cm / 110 x 120 cm with a magnificent Louis XV style frame.