Hidalgo, Felix (1853-1913), a Filipino painter, won many prizes in Europe for his work. His canvas The Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace won a silver medal at the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid in 1884. Another painting, La Barca de Aqueronte (The Ship of Aqueronte), won gold medals at exhibitions in Madrid in 1887 and 1892, and a silver medal in Paris in 1889.
Although much of Hidalgo’s work was in the academic tradition, he also painted in the romantic vein. His paintings include landscapes and portraits of women. Many of his works have a sad and dreamlike character.
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo was born on Feb. 21, 1855, in Manila. He studied in Manila at the University of Santo Tomas. His early paintings were exhibited in the United States at the Philadelphia Exposition of 1879. In 1879, Hidalgo went to Spain and continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. He lived in Paris for most of the rest of his life. He died in Barcelona, Spain, on March 13, 1913.
