The master’s studio smells like paint; to that, and to the past glories transmitted by three decades of canvases ready to put images to the national history. ABC hunts Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau with brush in hand, like a patient sniper in search of touch-ups that … bring down. He is known as the battle painter, which is no small feat, but he admits that his new work encompasses much more. «I have taken a step forward; This is a historical painting. “It reflects a very important character from our past and, in addition, puts the emphasis on an outstanding actor throughout the centuries: the Church,” he says.
In front of us he stands, fearless and joyful, Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros; Cardinal Cisneros, wow. He does it after what was his great military feat: the conquest of Oran, which occurred back in 1509. And he also does it by showing himself as he was in life: a man who had Spain at his feet, yes, but who never abandoned austerity. for which the Franciscans cried.
«The scene tells a lot about him. Look at his mount,” says Ferrer-Dalmau as he points to the center of the scene. In fact, the one who was Isabel la Católica’s confessor, archbishop of Toledo, regent and third inquisitor general of Castile did not travel on a horse… he did so on a mule!
It is not the only secret that the canvas hides, one of the largest that the battle painter has illuminated in his long career – 2.5 meters high by 2 meters wide – but it is among the first to come to light. the view. After Don Cisneros and his beloved donkey –Benitillo they called him – a torrent of characters arrive that transport the viewer to the taking of the, today, Algerian city; the last wish that Elizabeth I had left in her will.
Because yes, the Cardinal, whom Ferrer-Dalmau has brought back to life with hard features and a sharp face, left this world as the last protector of the wishes of His Catholic Majesty.
Glory to Alcalá
«It is an imposing painting. Ferrer-Dalmau is the best-rated historicist painter of epic character, it is a privilege to have reached him. He joins the conversation, over the phone, Jose Felix Huerta, president of the bicentennial Society of Condueños. His group, born in 1850 to preserve the “founding block of the Cisneriana University” of Alcalá de Henares, is behind the commission. With a firm voice, he admits that they are seeking to recover movable property from the city to display them in a kind of museum. And what better than to include a painting of the Cardinal in that room. Because yes, it was this religious who founded and promoted the famous educational institution as early as 1499.
Although, as there is still time until they transform the historic room of the Society of Condueños into that long-awaited museum, for the moment the canvas will rest in the University itself.
Sketch of the painting by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau
AFD
«While the installation is being adapted, it will shine in the chapel where Cisneros is buried; “It is the most visited area,” says Huerta. There, the Cardinal’s spirit will rest alongside a snapshot of what was his great military feat. “We asked Augusto the possibility of having him photographed laying the first stone of the University, but he was clear: it had to be a warlike feat,” adds the president. And why?, we ask. “Partly because of the heroic charge… Although I think because in Oran he could put horses, he loves them!” He jokes.
Here or there, in Oran or Alcalá, Huerta emphasizes that Cisneros’s grandeur was unmatched. And he uses the words of the Hispanist Joseph Pérez to define him: “he was the best ruler and the greatest statesman of Spain.” He then lists his achievements, which were many; among them, the foundation of what was the driving force of the Golden Age. «The great figures from the world of culture, the arts and the army passed through the University. The great captains Alexander Farnese and John of Austria are two examples, as well as the clerics who went to America,” he subscribes. Such was the success of the institution that its model was later exported to the other side of the Atlantic.
Reformer
The polyglot Bible, the impulse of the printing press… The glories of Cisneros are counted in abundance, as María Fidalgo explains to ABC. On the other side of the line, the doctor in art history and Ferrer-Dalmau’s advisor also reveals a secret about the painting: «he has painted a detail that few know: the Cardinal had a harelip. In principle, this characteristic should have prevented him from speaking normally, but the reality is that he was an extraordinary speaker. It is a shadow, nothing exaggerated, but marked enough for the audience to grasp. The painter’s cherry.
Picture of the conquest of Oran
AUGUSTO FERRER-DALMAU
Although what really catches Fidalgo’s attention is the major challenge that Ferrer-Dalmau has set for himself. «It is a very innovative painting. He had never made figures of these dimensions. They are such big characters that they almost invade the viewer’s space,” he adds. The artist smiles and responds: «Mine has been difficult for me. About ten hours a day for three months! Now, he confirms, the Alamo awaits him. What about the Alamo? we ask. “I’ll tell you…”
