The Prolific Spanish Artist, Francisco Pacheco

Biography

To begin with, Francisco Pacheco is considered to be one of the most prolific Spanish artists. At present, his works of art enjoy a great popularity among the representatives of Spanish culture. What is more, his artistic legacy that includes a significant number of amazing artworks is appreciated across the whole globe.

First of all, it is a common knowledge that Francisco Pacheco was born in Sanlucar de Barrameda in the Spanish province of Cadiz in 1564. In 1580, Pacheco was forced to leave his hometown and move to Seville where his uncle lived. The interesting thing that should be mentioned is the fact that his uncle was a monk in the Cathedral. In accordance with the biography of Francisco Pacheco, he worked as the apprentice for Luis Fernández, who was not a significantly known artist. During his apprenticeship, Pacheco attempted to copy the artworks of the gifted Italian Renaissance masters.

In 1611, Francisco Pacheco got an opportunity to visit Madrid and Toledo. During this trip, the artist studied the works of art of El Greco who is known as Doménikos Theotokópoulo, a well-known master of Spanish painting. When Pacheco got such a significant experience, he managed to open his art academy in Seville.

The last but not least thing that should be mentioned is the fact that his artistic legacy was highly influenced by the events that took place in Spain during that time. All these events were caused by the Inquisition that also took place in the artist’s hometown. Francisco Pacheco passed away in 1644.

Key Ideas in Painting

As it was mentioned above, Francisco Pacheco was a famous censor of the Inquisition in Seville. This is the main reason why the major part of his artworks has a religious nature. Apart from that, this prolific painter was known for his humanistic values. As a result, Pacheco was considerably famous among the various circles of the poets.

Regarding his works of art, Pacheco’s style is regarded as the Mannerism. However, the majority of the researchers claims that a number of his paintings includes some elements of the Italian art. In turn, the others state that a lot of elements of the Flemish art can be found in the works of this painter.

Main Works of Art of Pacheco

Francisco Pacheco was not only a gifted painter but also a great theorist that published some materials related to the area of art. Such publications include some theoretical issues as well as the articles relative to the history of the art. A list of the artist’s major works includes Arte de la Pintura or ‘Art of Painting’, ‘The Last Judgment’, and ‘Martyrs of Granada’.

Arte de la Pintura

One of the most famous writings is Arte de la Pintura that was edited by Simon Fajardo and introduced to the society in 1649 after the death of the original artist. Generally speaking, Arte de la Pintura consists of three books. While the first two books are focused on the theoretical points, the third publication is related to the particular technical aspects of art.

At present, this book is considered to be one of the best collections of the Spanish Baroque Art.

The Last Judgment

First of all, The Last Judgment is considered to be one of the key drawings of this famous Spanish artist. It was introduced to the society in 1614.

Martyrs of Granada

Martyrs of Granada is another famous painting that contributed to such a great popularity of this Spanish artist. This painting is the imitative and rigid work of art that is known for the majority of art lovers.