Helena Almeida: 'Seduzir' [To Seduce, 2002] (detail)

Collection

Alegoría [Allegory]

Image caption
GENARO LAHUERTA

Alegoría [Allegory]

  • 1960
  • Oil on canvas
  • 34 x 51 cm
  • Cat. P_393
  • Acquired in 1970
By:
Isabel Tejeda

Allegory of Valencia and Allegory are sketches for two murals that Lahuerta was commissioned to paint in 1960 for the public trading area of the Banco de España branch office in the city of Valencia. However, the final works were never painted. They show similarities with two allegories in the Naval Museum in Madrid (Allegory of the Navy and Allegory of Fishing).

The painting shows three Valencian peasants cooling their feet in a fountain, surrounded by an orange grove. There are clear references to the mythical Arcadia, a paradise where everyone is happy and lives in harmony. There are also typically Valencian elements such as oranges and the white breeches and red sash worn by the male figure.

Isabel Tejeda

 
By:
Julián Gállego Serrano, María José Alonso
Genaro Lahuerta
Valencia 1905 - Valencia 1985

Genaro Lahuerta was a full professor at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in Valencia and became a member of the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid in 1976. In 1930 he belonged to the Sociedad de Artistas Ibéricos ["Association of Iberian Artists"] along with José Gutierrez Solana, Francisco Mateos, Benjamín Palencia and other. In 1943 he was awarded the second place medal at the National Exhibition for his portrait of his mother, and in 1948 the first place medal for his portrait of the writer Azorín. The Provincial Council of Valencia staged a retrospective of his work in 1987.

 
 
Vv.Aa. Colección Banco de España. Catálogo razonado, Madrid, Banco de España, 2019, vol. 1.