Dionisio Fierros

Dionisio Fierros studied at Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Joaquín Carpi y Ruata, Pedro de Madrazo and Luis de Madrazo are recorded as having studied under Dionisio Fierros. The recorded working language is Spanish. The field of work recorded is painting. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are history and romanesque. The authority associates the name with Romantic painting and Costumbrismo. José de Madrazo y Agudo and Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz are recorded as an influence. Employment is recorded with Alfonso XII of Spain. Works named in the authority record are Leaving Mass at a Village near Santiago. Work by Dionisio Fierros is recorded in the collections of Museo del Prado and Museo de la Trinidad. Distinctions recorded are Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Carlos III.

• Name — Dionisio Fierros Álvarez • Born — 5 May 1827 • Birthplace — Ballota, Spain • Died — 24 June 1894 • Place of death — Madrid, Spain • Occupation — Painter

He was born in Ballota, but left his home town at the age of fourteen for Madrid, where he found a position as an apprentice to a tailor. Later, it is believed, he became a servant for the Marqués de San Adrián, who had an extensive art collection. When the Marqués discovered him copying some of the paintings, he was impressed and introduced Fierros to José de Madrazo. This may be apocryphal, but he did study with the Madrazos and make copies at the Museo del Prado. He may also have studied in Paris and Italy. He made his exhibition début in 1858, with five portraits and three miscellaneous scenes, shown in Santiago de Compostela, where he was living at the time. At the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1860, he won a prize for his painting of a pilgrimage to Santiago and, in 1862, came in at second place for his depiction of people leaving a mass there. Over the next few years, he participated in several international exhibitions; winning a first-class medal at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. During this time, he also created a mural of the "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" for the monastery at El Escorial. In 1886, his painting of a scene from the life of King Henry III was purchased by the Ministry of Public Works. From 1885 to 1889, he lived in Galicia, painting portraits, landscapes and genre scenes on behalf of the "Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos de País de Santiago de Compostela". Five years after returning to Madrid, he died unexpectedly while on his way to attend a bullfight. In 1966, a major retrospective was held at the Ateneo de Madrid and, in 2000, another major showing was presented in Vigo.

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