Colonel Francisco Enrique Contreras
Artist
Francisco Oller y Cestero
(Puerto Rican, 1833-1917)
Date1880
Object number90.1700
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions59 1/2 x 41 1/2 in. (151.1 x 105.4 cm)
frame: 69 7/8 x 51 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (177.5 x 131.4 x 10.8 cm)
frame: 69 7/8 x 51 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (177.5 x 131.4 x 10.8 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
DescriptionThis portrait was completed in Spain, where Oller worked as an official painter at the court of King Amadeo I. Francisco Contreras (1845-1898) had a successful military career in the Philippines and Spain. With binoculars in hand, the colonel’s strategic position serves as the ideal vantage point from which to lead his troops, which can be seen in the bottom right corner of the painting. Oller painted the background landscape with loose, thick brushstrokes, characteristic of his Impressionist contemporaries, which contrast with the smooth, meticulous rendering of the sitter’s features.
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