Giotto and Cimabue

José María Obregón studied and taught at the San Carlos Academy for nearly 16 years, retiring in 1891 due to a serious eye disease. The influence of the Catalonian painter, Pelegrín Clavé, can clearly be seen in his works. Obregón was a portrait painter at the court of the Emperor, Maximilian, executing busts both of the latter and of his wife, which served as models for the minting of coins commemorating imperial rule. This painting is an illustration of the account given by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) in his book Delle Vite de piu'Eccellenti Pittori, Scultori, ed Architettori, in which the author describes the meeting between two great Renaissance painters, the young Giotto and his teacher, Cimabue. History has it that Giotto -depicted in this work as a young man clad in medieval attire- was grazing his flock of sheep. While the animals were busy eating, the young shepherd was drawing some lines on a rock. Cimabue, who was passing by, was amazed at the boy's skill and invited him to become an apprentice in his workshop. This story adheres to the romantic notion that artistic talent is inborn and can be perfected solely through practice and empathetic contact with nature. Giotto and Cimabue was shown for the first time at the XXth Exhibition of the San Carlos Academy, where it won third prize in the composition class taught by Pelegrín Clavé. It entered the MUNAL as part of the latter's founding endowment in 1982.