Eugenio Lucas Velazquez

Eugenio Lucas Velázquez was a Spanish painter in the Romantic style, known for genre and costumbrista scenes which often featured fantastic elements. He was born to a middle-class family in Madrid and was originally a cabinet-maker. He claimed to have attended the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and studied with José de Madrazo, but he also copied the paintings of Goya and Diego Velázquez at the Museo del Prado. He joined the National Militia in 1843 and married Martina Hernández Muñoz in 1844. He became a successful painter and received commissions from the upper nobility, including the Marqués de Salamanca. He was also appointed as an honorary court painter and a Knight in the Order of Charles III by Queen Isabel II. In 1852, he took a trip to Paris, where he was influenced by Delacroix. He separated from his wife in 1853 and lived with his mistress, Francisca Villaamil, with whom he had four children. One of them, Eugenio Lucas Villaamil, also became a painter. He made several more trips to Paris and other European countries in the 1860s. He was often criticized as being a mere copier of Goya and his paintings were sometimes attributed to Velázquez. He died on 11 September 1870 in Madrid. His works are now displayed in various museums, such as the Museo del Prado, the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, and the British Museum.