01 Work, Orientalist Artist, The Art of War, Ulpiano Checa's Maghrebi Warriors, with footnotes #126

Ulpiano Fernández-Checa y Sanz (April 3, 1860 – January 5, 1916)

Maghrebi Warriors

Oil on canvas.

46 x 65 cm; 73 x 92 cm

Private collection

Estimate value as of May 2023 was €18,000-€20,000

A group of horsemen wrapped in white tunics burst into an Arab village, in whose architecture we seem to recognise the city of Fez. The galloping of the horses is animated by a tremendous brio. The din of the warriors contrasts with the peaceful life conveyed by the women hidden behind their veils and the old men sitting on the sand, oblivious to the newcomers. The Orientalist theme has here been treated by Ulpiano Checa with bold compositional ingenuity and using warm shades capable of fully immersing us in the Maghreb atmosphere.  More on this painting

Ulpiano Fernández-Checa y Sanz (April 3, 1860 – January 5, 1916), known as Ulpiano Checa, was a Spanish painter, sculptor, poster designer and illustrator. He used both impressionistic and academic techniques, and mainly painted historical subjects.

He was born in Colmenar de Oreja, Spain, and exhibited a talent for art when he was a young child. At thirteen, he met Don José Ballester, the husband of a neighbor in Colmenar, who owned the Cafe de la Concepción in Madrid. Ballester was impressed with his work and, after consultation with Luis Taberner (1844–1900), a recognized and popular artist in Madrid, Ballester decided to bring Checa and his family to the capital to begin his art studies.

In 1873, he entered the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, followed by study at the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome [es], where he would paint Invasion of the Barbarians (since lost in a fire) which won the gold medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1887.

After World War I broke out, he left Paris to settle in Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Soon he moved to the nearby town of Dax where he died on January 5, 1916. Following his wishes, as expressed in his will, his remains were transferred to Colmenar de Oreja, where he was buried. His wife was later placed there beside him. More on Ulpiano Checa

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