Jose Arpa (1858-1952)
The Balanced Rock, Grand Canyon, 1926
oil on canvas
14 x 17 inches
18.75 x 21.5 inches (frame)
signed lower right: Jose Arpa
verso: labels, Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, California, 1926; Harry Halff Fine Art, 2010; Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, 2016

Jose Arpa y Perea, acclaimed as “The Colorist Painter,” infused vibrant hues into his depictions of figures and landscapes, particularly in Texas, where he revitalized San Antonio painting with sunlit local scenes. Hailing from Carmona, Spain, Arpa’s career spanned etching, illustration, and muralism, alongside teaching roles both in Spain and Texas. Trained under Eduardo Cano de la Pena in Seville, he won the Prix de Rome three years running and spent six formative years working in Rome. He exhibited internationally, including at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, showcasing his Impressionistic style. He traveled to San Antonio, in 1899, and exhibited at the San Antonio International Fair in 1900. Afterwards, he divided his time between Mexico, pain, and San Antonio until 1923, when he founded his own painting school in San Antonio. Assisted later by his nephew, the artist Xavier Gonzales, he began teaching classes en plein air in Bandera, Texas, in 1926. Arpa’s influence on “Texas Impressionism” was profound, shaping artistic discourse until his passing in Spain in 1952. The Balanced Rock, painted by the artist in 1926 was exhibited in a traveling one-man show titled Jose Arpa: A Spanish Painter in Texas, created and conducted by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas, in 2017.

EXHIBITION
Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, California, Fourth Annual Exhibition of Paintings, 1926
Harry Halff Fine Art, San Antonio, Texas, "Jose Arpa: Painting in the Americas", 2010; Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, 2016.

The painting appears to be in good condition. Under UV examination, there is no evidence of restoration or inpainting.