Francisco Bayeu y Subias
1734 - 1795
Bayeu was born in Zaragoza and apprenticed there. In 1758 he won a scholarship to the Academy in Madrid; but was expelled for not attending classes and returned home. In 1762 he moved to Madrid where he was taken up by the new court painter, Mengs.
Bayeu abandoned his Rococo style for Mengs' neo-classical manner. He became an accomplished fresco painter, working on many of the current decorative schemes. His frescoes are in the grand manner, although his sketches show the brighter style of his early years.
He eventually become Director of the Madrid Academy and court painter to the newly crowned Charles IV. By the end of his career he was the leading painter in the Spanish artistic establishment.
Bayeu abandoned his Rococo style for Mengs' neo-classical manner. He became an accomplished fresco painter, working on many of the current decorative schemes. His frescoes are in the grand manner, although his sketches show the brighter style of his early years.
He eventually become Director of the Madrid Academy and court painter to the newly crowned Charles IV. By the end of his career he was the leading painter in the Spanish artistic establishment.
Related paintings
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN