RAFAEL CUENCA MUÑOZ (Córdoba, 1895 - Madrid, 1967)."Couple of dancers in a courtyard".Oil on

RAFAEL CUENCA MUÑOZ (Córdoba, 1895 - Madrid, 1967).
"Couple of dancers in a courtyard".
Oil on canvas.
It has some leaps in the painting, restorations and missing parts in the frame.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 80 x 70 cm; 103 x 92,5 cm (frame).
This work is inscribed in the framework of the rise of regionalism in Spain in the second half of the 19th century, an art of romantic heritage, costumbrista and of realistic and meticulous workmanship was developed, which focused on the representation of subjects, themes and characters that reflect a new sense of folklore. In this context, the painters sought to reflect the types and customs of their own land, which made it different and unique, thus vindicating their own roots and, above all, the traditions and ways of dressing and behaving that were threatened by the notable growth of urban areas and the imposition of new fashions brought in from outside. Art, mainly in its pictorial aspect, thus became, in a way, a vehicle of expression capable of making regional peculiarities known to the rest of the nation.
A painter of landscapes, figures and flowers, Rafael Cuenca Muñoz specialised in the pastel technique, and in his day he was considered to be the best pastelist of his time. Self-taught, he combined his artistic practice with teaching and enjoyed great popularity, especially in the 1930s, when tributes were paid to him, such as the one held at the Palace Hotel in Cordoba in 1934.