“Two figures”. Oil on canvas. Signed (lower right corner). MARTÍNEZ NOVILLO, Cirilo (Vallecas, Madrid, 1921 – Madrid, 2008). Cirilo Martínez Novillo was a painter from Madrid who began his training in the capital (School of Arts and Crafts, the Libertarian Athenaeum of the People of Vallecas during the Civil War, and the Higher School of Painting, Sculpture, and Engraving at the National Library). During the war, he began his first artistic endeavors in the world of literature. After the war, he was imprisoned for a year, during which time he dedicated himself entirely to painting. In the 1940s, he went from setting up his first studio and focusing his work on figures and still lifes, with his first solo exhibition in 1942, to gaining critical acclaim by the end of the decade. The 1950s were crucial in his artistic development; he traveled throughout Spain and presented his work in several national and international exhibitions. It was also during this period that he became associated with the "Madrid School" (he exhibited many works collectively with other members of the school, such as Álvaro Delgado, Luis García Ochoa, Agustín Redondela, etc.). A scholarship from the French Institute in Madrid allowed him to travel to Paris for the first time in 1953, where he became acquainted with the paintings of masters such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Braque, and Cézanne. In 1960, he received another scholarship from the Juan March Foundation, returning to Paris and settling in the city for several years. This period reflected an aesthetic transformation in his work, bringing his painting closer to a language of abstraction and also altering his concept of light. He has received numerous awards (Painting Prize at the 2nd Hispano-American Biennial in 1953 in Havana, Cuba; First Medal at the National Fine Arts Exhibition in 1962; Gold Medal at the Arte-Santander Fair in 1999 in recognition of his artistic career, etc.), and his work has been exhibited worldwide (Madrid, Paris, Zurich, New York, Barcelona, Santander, Oviedo, Zaragoza, etc.). His paintings are held in important private collections and by prominent institutions such as the Banco Santander Collection, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Madrid, the Albacete Museum, the Mapfre Foundation, the Reina Sofía National Art Centre Museum in Madrid, the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao and Oviedo, the Telefónica Collection, the AENA Foundation, etc.
· Size: 50x61 cms.
ANTIQUES
