Antonio Muñoz Degrain - Lovers of Teruel [1884]

Antonio Muñoz Degrain - Lovers of Teruel [1884], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Dying of love is a theme often drawn from legendary literature, and was recurrent in nineteenth-century Spanish painting. Beginning with the story Juan Yagüe found in the Archives of the Moot Halls of Teruel, Degrain depicts the impossible love between Isabel Segura and the impoverished nobleman, Diego de Marsilla, which occurred in 1212. The painter chooses the tragic outcome of the two lover's passion: in the dark interior of the church of San Pedro in Teruel, the body of Diego de Marsilla lies wrapped in his warrior's garb. It rests on a casket covered with roses and laurels in homage to his triumphs as a knight. On his chest rests the head of his beloved, who has just breathed her last breath after kissing the lips of her eternal and impossible love.

The modern manner in which the paint is applied allows the artist to achieve great expressivity. This, and the exciting colours and powerful Mediterranean light are the work's most striking elements. The balanced composition and the adaptation of the figures to the space reveal Degrain's highly correct academicism. This work was acquired for the Prado Museum in 1884 and was later sent to the Museum of Modern Art.

[Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid - Oil on canvas, 330 x 516 cm]