Hot beauties of the south in portraits of Jose Cruz Herrera

Artist José Cruz Herrera is one of the most famous Spanish painters of the 20th century. His portraits and landscapes are captivating and convey the character of a person and the atmosphere of a place better than photographs. Herrera's life was long and interesting and the master left behind a solid legacy of hundreds of beautiful works in various genres, from eroticism to still life. (Caution! Nude nature).

José Cruz Herrera was born on October 1, 1890, in the Spanish town of La Linea de la Concepción, near Gibraltar. The artist's father, José de la Cruz García, owned a lithographic workshop that printed copies of paintings, book illustrations, and postcards. José was the eldest of seven children and began helping his father operate the lithographic presses as a teenager.

But printing images was just a job for the young Herrera. Everything changed when he was given a set of paints for his birthday. The boy discovered a world of colors and shades, so different from the strict grid of monochromatic lines of lithographs.

Jose began copying the works of the great Spanish masters of the past - Velazquez, Murillo and Goya. His talent was soon noticed by his parents, and he became a student of the artist Juan Aciego in Cadiz. Having mastered the basics of craftsmanship, Herrera continued his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Madrid. In 1915, he received a grant to study in Paris and Rome.

In the same year of 1915, the painting "Chapel of Christ of Mercy of the Dukes of Osuna" brought him the third prize at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid. Then there were other exhibitions and prizes - in France, Italy and Panama. Having become famous, the artist went travelling. He visited Uruguay and Argentina, and in 1929 he went to Morocco, where he worked for several years in Casablanca.

Morocco became the second homeland of José Cruz Herrera. He lived in this country for many years, inspired by its people and colorful landscapes. He left North Africa to found a studio in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, in 1934. But the mysterious Maghreb attracted him like a magnet and he repeatedly returned to the lands dear to his heart.

Herrera wanted to spend his last days in Morocco and his dream came true. He died in Casablanca on August 11, 1972, during one of his creative trips. The artist's remains were transported to his native La Linea de la Concepción and buried in the city cemetery next to his relatives.

For his invaluable contribution to art, José Cruz Herrera was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic in 1940. In 1958, he was awarded the knighthood of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise.

Herrera worked tirelessly throughout his life. He left behind many wonderful paintings of various genres. But the most famous are the female portraits painted by the artist from life. The master invited simple Berber, Spanish and Gypsy women as models. He painted them in national costumes and naked, in home interiors and outdoors.

Today these portraits can be seen in private collections and the best galleries in the USA, Spain, Great Britain and France. But the largest collection of paintings is in the José Cruz Herrera Museum in his native La Línea de la Concepción.