Carnival Afternoon on the Alameda, Ignacio Pinazo

Inv. No. CE4/ 00258

In the National Ceramics Museum there is a collection of four landscape paintings by Ignacio Pinazo (1984-1916) dated 1889. They all came from the former cafe El León de Oro which belonged to a Mr Pampló. Two of these paintings were bought from his heirs by a savings bank, Caja de Ahorros, and were then donated to the museum. They are all on display in the Sala Pinazo: ‘Tarde de Carnaval en la Alameda’ (Carnival Afternoon on the Alameda), ‘Conversaciones en la serre’ (Conversations in the Sunroom), ‘Joven Griega’ (Young Greek girl) and ‘Jóven y Cupido’ (Youth and Cupid).

In contrast with the depiction of Antiquity evoked by the ‘Jóven Griega’ (Young Greek girl) or by ‘Joven y Cupido’ (Youth and Cupid), this painting represents Pinazo’s vision of a contemporary Valencia during a carnival afternoon on the Alameda.

The festive event hides a scene of courtship, with a couple of startled young girls running away from some masked boys, who have scared them with their gestures and words. Again we find Pinazo evokes Antiquity through a certain faunlike and Dionysian atmosphere emerging naturally in the carnival festivities. The young girls could represent a form of urban nymph and the boys could be peasant-like fawns. Therefore, despite the painting combining fantasy with an urban vision of the city and its people, the main theme is actually love and courtship. It is also worth noting the sense of energy, the composition and the depth of the scene.

Item displayed in the Pinazo Room.