José Luzán (1710 – 1785), also José Luzán y Martínez, was a Spanish Baroque painter. Son of the painter and gilder of

retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

s Juan Luzán, Luzán married Teresa, daughter of John Zabalo, who was also a painter and designer of altarpieces. Thanks to the patronage of the

Pignatelli Pignatelli () is an Italian surname which may refer to: People * House of Pignatelli, an aristocratic family of Naples * Fabio Pignatelli (born 1953), an Italian musician * Luca Pignatelli (born 1962), an Italian artist * William Pignatelli (born 1 ...

family, Luzán studied in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, where he met the Italian Baroque master Giuseppe Mastroleo. He returned to

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

around 1730 to establish an academy, which enjoyed great success. He was named reviewer of paintings by the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

and in 1741 was appointed by

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

as supernumerary painter of the Royal House. The study of the rich collections of the palace allowed him to considerably refine his style. Following on from the gloomy tone of his early works, he acquired a taste for warm coloring, dominating with the yellow, ochre and red in his palette, and lightened the burden of his brushstrokes. In the 1760s, he executed large works and bold compositions, which made clear his status as one of the most gifted eighteenth century painters of religious subjects. Luzán enjoyed much prestige as a teacher and author. Among his disciples were Francisco Bayeu y Subías, and

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish Romanticism, romantic painter and Printmaking, printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hi ...

. Luzán left

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

to direct the Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Zaragoza, if only briefly, as the institution went through severe financial difficulties and had to close. He managed to see it reopened in 1784, but his health would no longer allow him to teach. He died in his hometown shortly thereafter in 1785.

External links and references

* Lorente, Stephen, "The Chapel of San Marco and the Easter Memorial Cathedral of Saragossa", Journal of Research of the College of Logroño, t. II, 1976, p. 97-103.
Ramirez Family in the Great Aragon Encyclopedia (''Spanish'')
Citations 1710 births 1770 deaths 18th-century Spanish painters 18th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters Artists from Zaragoza {{Spain-painter-stub