Sebastián Gessa y Arias

Sebastián Gessa y Arias (8 May 1840, Chiclana de la Frontera - 9 January 1920, San Agustín del Guadalix) was a Spanish painter; known as El pintor de las flores, for his dedication to floral themes, bodegones and still-lifes.

Biography

He began his studies at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Cádiz then, in 1864, received a scholarship that enabled him to study in Paris. There, he enrolled at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, where he studied with Alexandre Cabanel. He would remain in Paris until 1870. During that time, he participated in several exhibitions; notably the Exposition Universelle (1867).^[1]

When he returned to Spain, he settled in Madrid, where he made a name for himself by the decorative work he performed at the Palacio de Linares, home of José de Murga y Reolid [es], the Marqués de Linares. Much of this work was floral in nature and set the tone for his career.

In 1881, he was awarded a gold medal at the Exposición Regional de Cádiz and presented his first entry at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts. He was awarded a Third Class medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889). His greatest success came in 1897, at the National Exhibition, when he was awarded a First Class prize for his work "Flowers and Fruits". This was the first time that top honors had been given to a bodegón, rather than one of the dramatic historical or mythological scenes the jurors had favored up to that point.^[2]

Several well known painters were trained in his workshop, including Fernanda Frances Arribas, Marcelina Poncela Hontoria [es], Julia Alcayde y Montoya and Adela Ginés y Ortiz, his favorite student, with whom he lived, after becoming financially distressed. Her death from pneumonia, in 1918, left him destitute.^[1]

His works may be seen at the Museo del Prado, Museo de Cádiz, Museo de Bellas Artes de Murcia [es], Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Argentina), and several private collections, such as the Colección Bellver [es] in Seville.