Portrait of Martin Rico y Ortega

Martin Rico y Ortega Painting Reproductions 1 of 2

1833-1908

Spanish Impressionist/Realist Painter

Martín Rico y Ortega was born in El Escorial on November 12, 1833, and would become one of Spain’s most celebrated landscape and cityscape painters of the 19th century. His journey through life - and art - is a story of constant evolution, guided by a restless curiosity and a deep love for painting en plein air. From the rugged hillsides outside Madrid to the luminous waterways of Venice, Rico’s work captures the essence of place, light, and life in a way that resonates long after his time.

He received his earliest formal training at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, studying under the Romantic painter Jenaro Pérez Villaamil. Those early years shaped Rico’s love for landscape, but his style was still in flux. It was his move to Paris in 1860, made possible by a government scholarship, that marked the beginning of his transformation. In France, he found inspiration in the Barbizon school - particularly in the works of Charles-François Daubigny. The French countryside, with its quiet pastoral beauty, gave Rico a new language in painting, one steeped in Realism and rich in detail.

But as political tensions rose in France with the Franco-Prussian War, Rico returned to Spain, and it was here, in the company of his friend Marià Fortuny, that his art truly began to glow. Granada - with its brilliant light and Moorish architecture - became a playground for his experiments with color and luminosity. Fortuny’s influence is unmistakable in these works, and the two artists often collaborated, their watercolor scenes sometimes indistinguishable from one another.

Yet it was Venice, that floating dream of a city, which would leave the deepest mark on Rico. He first visited in 1873, and the city’s radiant light, shimmering canals, and architectural splendor captivated him. Over the next three decades, he would return almost every summer, painting scenes that have since become emblematic of his career. From his room in Dorsoduro or a gondola anchored on a canal, he observed the dance of sunlight on water and stone. His Venetian scenes, rooted in the vedute tradition, blended precision with atmosphere, often rivaling the works of his contemporaries like Édouard Manet and John Singer Sargent.

Rico’s friendship with the Peruvian painter Federico del Campo further solidified his role in this vibrant artistic community. Together, they worked on Venetian views that were highly sought after by collectors, reflecting the growing international fascination with the city.

Martín Rico y Ortega passed away in Venice on April 13, 1908, at the age of 74. Fittingly, he was laid to rest in the city that had become his artistic home, on the peaceful island of San Michele. His work remains a testament to his lifelong love for capturing the fleeting beauty of light and landscape.

41 Martin Rico y Ortega Paintings

Canal in Venice, c.1880/90 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Canal in Venice c.1880/90

Oil Painting
$930
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14948
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 76.2 x 46.2 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, USA

A Canal in Venice, c.1875 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

A Canal in Venice c.1875

Oil Painting
$1149
Canvas Print
$55.94
SKU: OYR-14949
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 50.2 x 68 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

A Spanish Garden, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

A Spanish Garden n.d.

Oil Painting
$1014
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14950
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 61 x 38.7 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

On the Seine, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

On the Seine n.d.

Oil Painting
$948
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14951
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 38.7 x 64.8 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Alcalá: The Banks of the Guadaíra River, 1871 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Alcalá: The Banks of the Guadaíra River 1871

Paper Art Print
$47.71
SKU: OYR-14952
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 30 x 46 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

The Ladies' Tower at the Alhambra, 1871 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

The Ladies' Tower at the Alhambra 1871

Oil Painting
$1002
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14953
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 63.5 x 40 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

The Mouth of the Bidasoa River, 1872 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

The Mouth of the Bidasoa River 1872

Oil Painting
$994
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14954
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 39.3 x 72 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

View of Paris, 1883 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

View of Paris 1883

Oil Painting
$1417
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14955
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 79 x 160 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

Washerwomen at the Varenne River, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Washerwomen at the Varenne River n.d.

Oil Painting
$1280
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14956
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 85 x 160 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

A Canal in Venice (Un canal en Venecia), c.1903 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

A Canal in Venice (Un canal en Venecia) c.1903

Oil Painting
$825
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14957
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 35.2 x 22.5 cm
Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, USA

Giardino del Palazzo Vendramin, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Giardino del Palazzo Vendramin n.d.

Oil Painting
$1077
Canvas Print
$50.15
SKU: OYR-14958
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: unknown
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota, USA

Venice, c.1874 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Venice c.1874

Oil Painting
$1187
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14959
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 42.4 x 71.7 cm
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA

La Huerta del Retiro, Seville, 1875 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

La Huerta del Retiro, Seville 1875

Oil Painting
$1086
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14960
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 42 x 75 cm
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA

Fisherman, Seville, c.1867/68 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Fisherman, Seville c.1867/68

Paper Art Print
$48.15
SKU: OYR-14961
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 37.3 x 54 cm
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA

Seville, 1875 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Seville 1875

Paper Art Print
$47.71
SKU: OYR-14962
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 30.4 x 48 cm
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA

La Huerta, Seville, c.1870/80 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

La Huerta, Seville c.1870/80

Paper Art Print
$47.71
SKU: OYR-14963
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 32 x 49 cm
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA

A Summer’s Day on the Seine, c.1870/75 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

A Summer’s Day on the Seine c.1870/75

Oil Painting
$870
Canvas Print
$51.93
SKU: OYR-14964
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 40 x 57.1 cm
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain

San Lorenzo River with the Campanile of San Giorgio dei greci, Venice, c.1900 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

San Lorenzo River with the Campanile of San ... c.1900

Oil Painting
$1167
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14965
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 47 x 71.8 cm
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain

Peasants, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Peasants n.d.

Oil Painting
$755
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14966
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 27.7 x 52 cm
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain

Courtyard of the Palace of the Dux of Venice, 1883 by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Courtyard of the Palace of the Dux of Venice 1883

Oil Painting
$1461
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14967
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 141 x 81 cm
Public Collection

The Ca' d'Oro, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

The Ca' d'Oro n.d.

Oil Painting
$1227
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14968
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 46.6 x 75.5 cm
Private Collection

A Gondola on the Grand Canal, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

A Gondola on the Grand Canal n.d.

Oil Painting
$1123
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14969
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 46.3 x 70.4 cm
Private Collection

A Venetian Canal Scene, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

A Venetian Canal Scene n.d.

Oil Painting
$1162
Canvas Print
$60.47
SKU: OYR-14970
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 80 x 38.5 cm
Private Collection

Rio San Trovaso, Venice, n.d. by Martin Rico y Ortega | Painting Reproduction

Rio San Trovaso, Venice n.d.

Oil Painting
$1447
Canvas Print
$49.99
SKU: OYR-14971
Martin Rico y Ortega
Original Size: 65.4 x 100.3 cm
Private Collection

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