Loarte, Alejandro de

A Spanish painter from Madrid whose father, Jerónimo de Loarte was also a painter and probably Alejandro's first teacher. Little is known abut this artist as he is not mentioned by his contemporaries. Despite his great promise, he must have died while still a youth, as none of his known works dates from before 1622 and his death occurred in 1626, while his father was still alive. We know he married in 1619 in Madrid, and his presence in that city is also documented the following year. He must have moved to Toledo soon thereafter, as that is where he did most of his work. His testament also mentions activities in his workshop, which supplied devotional paintings and, most of all, small depictions of flowers, fruit and landscapes, as well as portraits. We know that he made religious paintings for churches in both the city and province of Toledo. His style links him to contemporary work from that city, spanning a range from Sánchez Cotán's still lifes to works by Tristán y Orrente, with whom he must have had a close friendship, as he was named executor of his testament. Still life was Loarte's finest genre, and he also painted some interesting examples with figures, including a truly singular "Chicken Hutch" that reflects his knowledge of Flemish and Bolognese traditions (García López, D. in: E.M.N.P, 2006, vol. IV, pp. 1411-1412).