Reclining nude

Although painter Carlos Baca-Flor was born in Peru, he spent his formative years in Chile, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Santiago between 1882 and 1886. Even by this early date, the painter already demonstrated the remarkable technical skills that would accompany him for the rest of his life. An example of his talent, this work corresponds to a subject that formed one of the cornerstones of academic learning: the study of the naked human body, painted here in a difficult foreshortening. Both the concept and the making of the canvas are evidence of the brilliance with which Baca-Flor assimilated the teachings of the Italian Giovanni Mochi and the Chilean Cosme San Martín, his teachers at the Academy in Santiago. For his talent and dedication, the painter would win the “Prix de Rome”, granted by that institution, which consisted in a five-year scholarship to complete his studies in Europe. The grant was only awarded to Chilean citizens and rather than changing his nationality, Baca-Flor preferred to forfeit the prize. In recognition of the sacrifice the act implied, the Peruvian government offered to grant him an equivalent scholarship, which would come into effect in 1890.