Biography

Spanish painter, sibling of Luis Jiménez Aranda. He trained in Seville under Manuel Cabral (1828-1891) and with Eduardo Cano de la Peña (1823-1897), showing an early interest in genre painting. This was perhaps due to the tradition of Romanticism in Seville, and Jiménez Aranda was already exhibiting pictures of this type at the Exposición Nacional in Madrid in 1864.

He went to Rome, where he befriended Mariano José Bernardo Fortuny y Marsal, becoming the most representative of his Spanish followers. Jiménez Aranda attempted to exploit Fortuny y Marsal's style, known as Fortunismo or 'preciosity', and concentrated on the small genre painting or tableautin, with which he gained remarkable success. Fortuny y Marsal's influence can be seen in such works by Jiménez Aranda as Room behind an Apothecary Shop and The Bibliophiles (1879). These often ironic paintings look back to the 18th century and have something of the atmosphere of Goya's work. However, the skilled draughtsmanship, detailed execution and fine brushwork often bring them closer to the style of Ernest Meissonier than to the minute detailing and brilliant touch of Fortuny y Marsal.

Jiménez Aranda also lived in Paris, where his Spanish tableautin achieved notable success. Around 1890 he became influenced by realism and was later interested in the problems of painting light as a result of his contact with Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida and Gonzalo Bilbao y Martinez (b. 1860).