19th Century Spanish

A romantic Spanish painter, often viewed as the highest exponent of the , Rodríguez de Guzmán trained at the Academy of Fine Arts of Seville under José Domínguez Bécquer (1805-1841), who introduced him to costumbrista painting, a genre in which Rodríguez de Guzmán would excel throughout his career.

In 1847, still during his period in Seville, he was appointed a member of the Santa Isabel de Hungría Royal Academy of Fine Arts. During this phase of his career he also produced history and religious paintings which he entered in various competitions in Spain.

After settling in Madrid in 1854, he came to the attention of the royal court and obtained some commissions from Queen Isabella II (1830-1904), including a body of work of costumbrista paintings depicting lifestyles of the different Spanish provinces. During his time in Madrid he also received commissions from the British Ambassador in Spain and joined the Society for the Protection of the Fine Arts founded by his fellow costumbrista painter Antonio María Esquivel (1806-1857). In those days he also collaborated in the creation of the Gallery of Portraits of the Monarchs, inspired by a similar initiative in France promoted by King Louis Philippe I (1773-1850), which would lead us to confirm the significant role he played in the arts of the time.

Throughout his life he exhibited his works on several occasions at the , where he won an honorary mention in 1858 for his painting Rinconete y Cortadillo, inspired by Cervantes’ Novelas ejemplares.