LLEI D'ART 10

to a style that inevitably reminds us of Caravaggio. The construction and structuring of the elements on his canvasses seems to go far beyond a simple still life, as beautiful as they may be, since the work retains an out-of-time atmosphere where some of the elements seem to levitate in compositions that were daring for their time, which suggested a point of inflection. His creations were homages to autumn and its abundance. Probably due to the influence of some of his British collectors, towards the end of his artistic life, he began to incorporate the freshness and bloom of flowers, which allowed him to expand his palette towards colours that were brighter, and more spring-like. Named The Farm Worker ( El Labra- dor in Spanish) for his apparently rural background, little is known of his life or training, although it ap- pears that an Italian aristocrat whom he worked for, Giovanni Battista Crescenzi, had a great influence on his work, since he was one of the promoters of still lifes and encouraged the artist to apply himself to this genre, which at the time was in great demand all over Europe. However, towards 1633, the painter left Madrid and decided to return to the country to carry on painting what he knew best, only ever visiting the court to sell his paintings to noblemen, both Spanish and foreign. Here he was very well-known and thanks to this, El Labrador was able to transcend the borders of Spain. Juan Fernández El Labrador. Dos racimos de uvas colgando/ Two hanging bunches of grapes , 1629-1630. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. rían una reflexión. Sus creaciones eran auténticos homena- jes al otoño y a su abundancia. Probablemente por influencia de algunos de sus coleccionistas británicos, incorporó, en la última etapa de su vida artística, la frescura y lozanía de las flores, algo que le permitió ampliar su paleta de colores hacia gamas más frescas y primaverales. Apodado El Labrador por sus supuestos orígenes campesinos, apenas se sabe de su vida o formación, aunque según parece, un aristócrata ita- liano a cuyas órdenes trabajó, Giovanni Battista Crescenzi, tuvo una gran influencia en su trabajo, ya que era uno de los promotores de la naturaleza muerta y animó al artista a que se aplicara en tal género pictórico, dado que por aquel entonces disfru- taba de gran reconoci- miento y demanda en toda Europa. Sin embar- go, hacia 1633, el pintor abandonó Madrid y de- cidió regresar al campo para seguir dedicándo- se a pintar aquello que mejor conocía, despla- zándose a la Corte sólo para vender sus cuadros a nobles –tanto españo- les como extranjeros–, entre quienes gozaba del gran reconocimiento gracias al cual consiguió trascender más allá de nuestras fronteras. Juan Fernández El Labrador. Bodegón con cuatro racimos de uvas/ Still life with four bunches of grapes, c. 1630. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. 92