Alberto Pla y Rubio

Alberto Pla y Rubio (1867–1937) was a Spanish painter interested in social issues. He was a professor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia, the Academy of Fine Arts in Cadiz and the La Lonja school in Barcelona.

Biography He was born in Castelló de la Ribera, Province of Valencia. He studied art at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, where he was a pupil of Alejandro Ferrant y Fischermans, He won a first-class medal in the National Exhibition of 1895 with a canvas entitled ¡A la guerra! ("Off to War!") He died in Barcelona.

Rubio focused on social themes in a realistic style. He was strongly influenced by Joaquin Sorolla and impressionist brushwork, especially in the use of light in his oil paintings.

His prize-winning painting, ¡A la guerra!, belongs to the Prado, the national art museum of Spain, and currently hangs in the town hall of Alcalá de Henares.

Gallery