Painting is one of the oldest ways of expression in Humanity, and it is part of our identity.
In fact, some Spanish painters are a true reflection of the history of our country, as they have been able to tell, through their paintings, the culture and traditions, as well as their own experiences.
The importance of some famous Spanish painters is such that their artworks are currently exhibited in the most prestigious museums and art galleries in the world.
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Spanish artist through the centuries
Spanish painters have shaped art history from the Renaissance to modern times. Their contributions span multiple styles, including:
- Renaissance & Baroque: El Greco, Velázquez, Murillo.
- Romanticism & Realism: Goya, Sorolla.
- Modern Movements: Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Juan Gris.
Top 10 Spanish painters you should know
Do you recognize the names of these Spanish painters? Can you identify their styles or their most recognized works?
El Greco (1541-1614)
Although Domenikos Theotokopoulos was born and lived in Crete and in different cities in Italy before settling in Toledo, he is considered one of the most famous Spanish painters.
Nicknamed “El Greco” because of his Greek origin, he developed his own style, marked by the Byzantine style, influenced, at the same time, by the Renaissance and Mannerism.
Some of his most famous works are “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz” (Church of Santo Tomé in Toledo), “The Knight with his Hand on his Chest” (Prado Museum) or “Laocoonte” (National Gallery of Art in Washington).
Zurbarán (1598-1664)
Zurbarán was born in Badajoz, although he did most of his work in Seville, where he produced important paintings on behalf of the main monasteries of the city.
Most of his works have religious themes and are influenced by the tenebrist style, very fashionable at the time.
Some of his most representative works are “Cristo en la cruz” (Art Institute of Chicago) and “San Hugo en el refectorio de los Cartujos” (Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla).
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Velázquez (1599-1660)
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez is one of the most important Spanish painters of all times and his name is essential to understand the Baroque and universal painting.
In fact, it is said that he was «the painter of painters».
Born in Seville, he was a master in the work of light and chiaroscuro, reminiscent of Caravaggio.
Among his works, we find many paintings with religious themes, still life paintings, mythological compositions and portraits, as Velázquez was a painter of the Spanish Court.
Some of his most famous paintings are “El almuerzo” (Hermitage Museum), “Vieja friendo huevos” (National Gallery of Scotland), “El triunfo del Baco” (Prado Museum) and “Las Meninas” (Prado Museum), his most universal creation.
Murillo (1617-1682)
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo approached religious themes in his paintings with such depth that he gradually gained influence and fame among the wealthier classes of his time.
His first important assignment was a series of canvases for the convent of San Francisco in Seville, the most important painting is “The Kitchen of the Angels”, currently exhibited in the Louvre.
Murillo’s works have a special way of capturing expressions and feelings, as we can see in his paintings “Two Women at a Window” (Washington National Gallery of Art), “Boy with a Dog” (Hermitage Museum) and “Holy Family of the Little Bird” (Prado Museum).
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Goya (1746-1828)
Francisco de Goya is one of the most famous Spanish painters and his work is key to understand both the period that he lived in and was an excellent chronicler of, as well as the different styles that followed.
His works include painting, drawing and engraving, with themes varying from religion to official portraits, including his famous series on the disasters of war or the habits of the time (bullfighting, picnics, festivals or “witches’ covens” and popular superstitions).
After 1780, Goya became the fashionable portraitist of Madrid’s high society and reached the position of Chamber Painter to King Charles IV.
His collection is practically endless and includes masterpieces such as “El 3 de mayo en Madrid”, “Saturno devorando a su hijo” and “La maja desnuda”, which you can currently see at the Prado Museum.
Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923)
Another of Spain’s most famous painters is Joaquín Sorolla, who is closely linked to our city.
Born in Valencia, Sorolla traveled to Rome and Paris before returning to Valencia, where he managed to capture like no other the beaches and the magic of the light on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Although his skills as a portrait painter were relevant, his most recognized works deal with everyday scenes and Valencian landscapes, making a masterful use of light.
During his career he signed more than 2000 works, framed within the “impressionist” style, and among which stand out “Paseo a orillas del mar” (Museo Sorolla), “Cosiendo la vela” or “Chicos en la playa” (Museo del Prado).
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Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
The Malaga painter Pablo Picasso is one of the names of universal art.
Picasso lived in Paris, where he interacted with vanguardist artists in Montmartre and Montparnasse, and where he would begin to shape his own thinking.
One of the peculiarities of this famous Spanish painter is that he cultivated different styles throughout his career: the academic character of his early works was overshadowed by the pessimistic paintings of the blue period and the joy of the pink period and pastel tones, which was followed by his circus-inspired works, cubism or expressionism of his later years.
His most famous works are “Guernica” (Museo Reina Sofia), “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (MoMA) or “The Weeping Woman” (Tate Modern).
Juan Gris (1887-1927)
The illustrator Juan Gris, whose real name was José Victoriano González-Pérez, worked for different magazines until 1910, when he started painting
This well-known Spanish painter is one of the greatest examples of cubism created by Picasso, who was a contemporary of his.
However, Juan Gris contributed to this movement a new technique, the “papier collé” (a type of collage that consists of combining paint with paper or cardboard cuttings on the canvas) and the use of multiple perspective.
Some of Juan Gris’ famous works are “Guitar and Pipe” (Dallas Museum of Art), “La bouteille d’anis” (Centro de Arte Reina Sofia) or “Portrait of Picasso” (Art Institute of Chicago).
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Joan Miró (1893-1983)
Miró is one of the great representatives of surrealism.
This painter, sculptor, engraver and ceramist, born in Barcelona and died in Palma de Mallorca, focused his work on the oneiric world of dreams. For this reason, his works have a “childish” and naif air, with compositions of very simple shapes and primary colors.
Some of Miró’s best known paintings are “El carnaval del arlequín” (Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo) or “Dona i ocell” (Joan Miró Park in Barcelona).
Dalí (1904-1989)
We end this overview of the most important Spanish painters with the famous Salvador Domingo Felipe (Salvador Dalí), a versatile artist well known for his particular moustache and his eccentric behavior.
Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, during his student days he maintained a close relationship with the poet Federico García Lorca and the filmmaker Luis Buñuel.
He lived in Paris, where he met Picasso and Miró, and where he joined the surrealist group of André Breton to create his own method of creation (defined as “paranoic-critical “) that would have great influence on many artists of the twentieth century.
With the outbreak of World War II, Dalí moved to New York, although he eventually returned to Spain, where he later died in Figueras, his hometown.
Among Dalí’s most emblematic works are “The Persistence of Memory” (MoMA), “Christ of St. John of the Cross” (Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow) and “The Great Masturbator” (Reina Sofia Museum).
When visiting Spain, explore its art
Spain is home to some of the world’s best art museums, where you can admire these masterpieces:
- Museo del Prado (Madrid) – Velázquez, Goya, El Greco.
- Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid) – Picasso’s Guernica.
- Fundació Joan Miró (Barcelona) – Miró’s surrealist works.
- Dalí Theatre-Museum (Figueres) – A must for Dalí fans.
- Museo de bellas artes – A must for Sorolla fans.
The most famous painters are waiting for you in Spain and Valencia
If you have come this far, you have discovered another important aspect of Spanish culture: the most famous and important Spanish painters of our country.
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