Antonio Perez de Aguilar is a Mexican painter of the mid 18th century who has earned popularity for his still-life oil paintings that showcase the typical illusionistic quality of the medium. Much of the painters life and career remains unknown apart from the scarce few works attributed to him that have reshaped the understanding of the still-life genre in Mexican art history, this singular contribution makes him particularly significant. He appears to have been active in Mexico City for a brief period of about two decades from 1749 CE to 1769 CE.
Corpus of Work
The earliest securely dated work which is associated with him is a portrait of Bishop. Juan de Palafox, signed in 1749 and preserved in the parish church at Real del Monte, Hidalgo. This establishes that Perez de Aguilar was already an active painter by the middle of the 18th century. His widely acclaimed work is ‘Alacena’ (Cupboard), dated around 1769. An inscription on the reverse identifies the painter and dates the work to 1769. This inscription was particularly important because the painting had previously been attributed to another artist, Jose de Alcibar/Morlete Ruiz, before the authorship of Perez de Aguilar’s was established. There are a few more recorded artworks of his mainly of the still-life genre.
Signature Artworks
Aguilar is most popular for his still-life artwork titled ‘Alacena’ which translates to a cupboard. The painting depicts a cupboard built into a wall niche which contains two horizontal shelves, enclosed behind a glass panel held in place by a narrow wooden frame and a lock is visible on the left side, with keys hanging from it. This architectural arrangement is essential to the painting’s illusionistic character as Aguilar instead of painting objects on a flat background, creates the appearance of a functional cupboard with a physical structure, glass protection and a locking mechanism. The frontal presentation is essential for the realism seen in the composition. This approach makes use of the “Trompe-l’œil” technique which is seen in another still-life painting of his titled “Small Pantry with Bread, a Bottle and a Glass of Wine”. This piece contains only two shelves in the composition which are occupied by food items. This work is particularly interesting because it is a much more concentrated version of the pantry motif for which Perez de Aguilar is known. The composition focuses on a small number of ordinary objects, rather than an elaborate collection of possessions.
Cultural Influences
Aguilar’s still-life compositions are records of the colonial Mexican society as the objects depicted in these works symbolically represent the power, status and background of a particular household and the region in general. The usage of trompe-l’œil indicates Mexico’s link with Europe as a colony of Spain. The items clearly establish the presence of an elite bourbon society as the common masses did not possess such items of luxury in that era. Certain prestige goods also showcase cross-cultural exchange and trade, the artwork ‘cupboard’ is particularly revealing in this respect. Its shelves contain objects of Indigenous, Chinese and Spanish origin; a palm-leaf basket and chocolate vessels, Chinese blue and white porcelain, Spanish glass and bottles.
Impact
Aguilar transforms humble domestic objects into subjects worthy of sustained visual attention. The pantry items become exercises in observation, material description and optical illusion. At the same time, the setting connects the painting to the everyday material culture of Mexico. Perez de Aguilar’s importance lies especially in his treatment of the bodegon or still-life. This genre was not as extensively developed in colonial Mexico as it was in Spain or the Netherlands, making his highly illusionistic pantry paintings exceptional examples of the genre in Mexico (then New Spain). One scholarly source describes his Alacena as among the earliest surviving examples of colonial Mexican still-life painting.