JOAQUÍN AGRASOT Y JUAN (Orihuela, 1837 - Valencia, 1919). "Portrait of a lady and Portrait of a gentleman. Pencil on paper (x2). They show oxidation on the paper. Signed in the lower left area. Size: 14,5 x 10 cm (x2); 39 x 44,5 cm (frames, x2). Grasot began his training in his native Orihuela, where he was granted a pension by the Diputación de Alicante to study at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in Valencia. A disciple there of Francisco Martínez Yago, he won awards in his early years, such as the gold medal at the Alicante Provincial Exhibition in 1860. In 1863 he was granted a new grant, this time to travel to Rome, where he came into contact with Rosales, Casado del Alisal and Fortuny. He established close ties of friendship with the latter, and his painting was profoundly influenced by the style of the Catalan painter. He periodically sent canvases to the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts, where he won third medals in 1864 and second in 1867. Agrasot remained in Italy until 1875; after Fortuny s death he returned to Spain, already a painter of recognised prestige, a member of the Academies of San Carlos and San Fernando, and took part as a juror in several art exhibitions. In 1886 he was awarded the art medal at the Universal Exhibition in Philadelphia, and in 1888 the second medal at the International Exhibition in Barcelona. Agrasot s style was in keeping with realism, and he was particularly interested in genre themes and regional genre painting. However, he also worked on nudes, oriental themes and portraits. He is represented in the Museo del Prado, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Valencia, the MUBAG in Gravina (Alicante) and the Academia de San Carlos in Valencia.