Sibling Portrait ( Paris, 1907). Daniel Hernández. Peru

Sibling portrait. Paris, July 1907. Formerly in the collection of Christophe Wood (1941–2009), art historian and expert in Victorian art, sold at Christie's New York in 1997. Daniel Hernández Morillo, born in Huancavelica in 1856 and died in Lima in 1932, was a major Peruvian painter whose work spanned several styles, from genre painting to academic painting and then Impressionism, before culminating in a highly personal style. An excellent portraitist, his works from the last two decades dispelled the label of "academic painter" that art critics had attached to him. His artistic training began at the age of 14 in the studio of the painter Leonardo Barbieri. As early as 1872, his painting *The Death of Socrates* earned him the esteem of artistic authorities and a grant from the government of Manuel Pardo, of which he received only a portion: President Pardo was assassinated on November 16, 1878. This did not prevent Daniel Hernandez from leaving for Europe. He first stayed in Rome, where he studied classical painting for ten years, then in Paris, where he resided until 1917. There, he became acquainted with Spanish Orientalists: Mariano Fortuny, Francisco Pradilla y Ortiz, and Villegas, before becoming president of the "Society of Spanish Painters Residing in Paris." A historical painter and portraitist, his style oscillates between preciousness and a riot of color. Awarded prizes at the 1899 Universal Exposition in Paris for his famous painting *The Lazy Woman* and again in 1900 for *Cruel Love and the Lazy Woman*, Hernandez revealed himself to be a "great admirer of feminine beauty." In 1918, he returned to his native country where he served as director of the Higher School of Fine Arts of Peru until his death. Although considered an academic painter, Hernandez was greatly influenced by the Impressionist movement, which he ardently promoted in his country. Daniel Hernandez also illustrated numerous works by great authors, including: The Village Priest, Lost Illusions, and The Country Doctor by Honoré de Balzac.
Frame gold 19 century.