Artwork
El actor Emilio Carreras
El actor Emilio Carreras is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Salvador Viniegra. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work serves as a documentary record of the performer during the late nineteenth century, preserving his image within the collection of the Museo del Prado.
Salvador Viniegra's 1890 oil painting functions as a formal portrait dedicated to the Spanish actor Emilio Carreras. As the sole figure depicted, Carreras is presented as the main subject, with the composition focused entirely on capturing his likeness and professional identity. The work serves as a documentary record of the performer during the late nineteenth century, preserving his image within the collection of the Museo del Prado.
No additional allegorical figures, symbolic objects, or complex iconographic programs are indicated in the available records; the piece's meaning derives directly from its function as a commemorative representation of a specific cultural figure.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1890, the portrait of Emilio Carreras is painted in oil on canvas. The handling is consistent with academic portraiture of the period, employing smooth, blended transitions to model the sitter’s features and costume. The composition centers on the figure, rendered with clear contours and carefully observed detail, while the restricted palette and controlled brushwork emphasize the genre’s conventions of dignity and restraint.
The canvas measures 97 cm in height by 62 cm in width. The work’s formal qualities, frontal pose, subdued lighting, and emphasis on individual character, align with late nineteenth-century Spanish portrait practice, conveying the sitter’s presence without dramatic incident.
History & Provenance
The portrait El actor Emilio Carreras was painted by Salvador Viniegra in 1890, as recorded in the artist’s catalogue raisonné and confirmed by the Museo del Prado’s holdings.
The work entered the Museo del Prado’s collection as part of its permanent holdings, where it remains located. Its provenance within the museum’s collection is documented in the Prado’s records, though no earlier ownership chain or commission details have been published beyond its creation date.
Salvador Viniegra's 1890 oil portrait, El actor Emilio Carreras, is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The artwork is cataloged within the museum's holdings as a painting depicting the actor Emilio Carreras. While the specific inventory or accession number is not detailed in the provided records, the work remains part of the permanent collection at this institution.
The piece, measuring 97 cm in height and 62 cm in width, has been identified in museum documentation as a key example of the artist's portraiture from the late 19th century.
Context
Salvador Viniegra painted the portrait El actor Emilio Carreras in 1890, depicting the prominent Spanish actor of the same name. The work, created in oil on canvas, measures 97 cm by 62 cm and belongs to the portrait genre within 19th-century Spanish art. It is part of the collection at the Museo del Prado, where it is recognized as a significant example of theatrical portraiture from the period.
The painting's depiction of Emilio Carreras aligns with contemporary artistic interest in capturing cultural figures, reflecting broader artistic and social contexts of actor representation in late 19th-century Spain.
Overview
Salvador Viniegra’s oil portrait, completed in 1896, presents the Spanish actor Emilio Carreras seated in a modest setting. The canvas, now part of the Museo del Prado’s collection, captures the figure in a restrained pose, emphasizing his demeanor and the subtle interplay of light across his features.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Salvador Viniegra y Lasso de la Vega (November 23, 1862 – April 29, 1915) was a Spanish painter who specialised in history painting.
