Portraits, realism and perfection in Revello del Toro's works 📷 Malaga - Spain

I had heard about the Revello del Toro Museum a long time ago, but many times when I passed by the place I saw it as a small place.

But I knew I had to go there because I had been told it was beautiful.

What I had been able to read on the façade is that the exhibitions of this painter were held in what used to be the house and workshop of the sculptor Pedro de Mena, and the sculpture outside is a bust dedicated to him.

The museum was inaugurated in 2010 and contains more than 130 works by the painter.

On Sundays the museum opens its doors to everyone free of charge from 10 am to 2 pm.

Also on the outside you could see that the painter had portrayed Pablo Picasso. It really promised to be a great exhibition.

On entering I noticed that the place, which on the outside looked very small, was not.

A huge restored old house with three floors where there was a lot to see.

But there was a problem, there were signs on the walls prohibiting the taking of photographs and that was a pity.

I started the visit anyway and I could see that at the entrance there was a great explanation of the history of both the painter and the sculptor Mena.

There was also a large interior courtyard from where I could see the different floors. And that is where I realised that I would have to make several visits to appreciate it better.

I also noticed that the museum had guides, so I approached one of them to ask about photography, and she told me that it was not allowed before, but that at the moment it was, but without flash.

She also accompanied me on the tour and explained many things about the museum and the paintings.

I was able to see archaeological remains found in the place where this building was built and luckily everything was properly explained on various signs.

After passing the beautiful inner courtyard I went and toured the ground floor of the museum, dedicated to many paintings and portraits by Revello del Toro.

The quality of the paintings, the detail and the realism made it almost as if I was looking at photographs. Although of course you could see the brushstrokes on the canvas.

The faces in many of the paintings seem blurred, but in others they are highly detailed and perfect.

I was struck by the realisation of the female faces, the delicacy, the life he brought to the paintings.

The painter knew how to paint since he was a child and he was always improving his technique, he was his own master, striving and improving more and more.

I could see paintings of historical figures, women he admired, children and much more.

It reminded me a lot of the kind of painting I learned in my student years, because I often painted cloths and within this classification is clothing, which is not at all easy to paint.

The folds, the details, the shapes of the fabrics take a lot of work in oil painting.

But what is special about oil paint is the brightness of the colours and the texture it gives on the canvas, which is why I always prefer it to acrylic.

I looked at the paintings and was amazed at the perfection when I got closer and saw the details.

There were also canvases of dolls, where it is important to find the right texture so that they don't look like skin.

Among his paintings I saw the life he gave to nature, the fruits, the vases.

And although there were several of them, what stood out most were the portraits and human figures, where the painter's sensitivity in the subject of faces stands out.

One of the most difficult things to paint is glass, because of the reflections, glitter and transparency, but on this canvas everything looked real and of an amazing quality.

The guide suggested that if I only had a short time left I could not leave without seeing the temporary exhibition, in case it was no longer available on the next visit, and that the rest of the exhibition could be enjoyed on another day.

I went upstairs, as it was on the first floor, and again in a not very large room, I could see more portraits, in this case of historical figures.

It is not easy to paint faces, not easy at all, it takes many years to acquire the perfection to be able to make a portrait of someone and in these paintings I could see that perfection.

This temporary exhibition was held on the occasion of the 175th anniversary and therefore this exhibition was dedicated to portraits of the presidents of the oldest cultural institution in Malaga.

What I have seen so far I liked very much and I know, according to what the guide told me, that I still have a lot more to see, as the painter portrayed women very well and has a collection of formidable sketches and drawings.

On the next occasion I will enjoy these beauties, but the museum was already closed and I had to leave the premises, but not before thanking the good disposition and attention given to me.

It has been a great tour where I did not expect these works of art.
Thank you all very much for watching and reading this far, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Best regards and see you next time.
Amonet.