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I first discovered Rosario Guerrero in 1999 when I bought a large, framed chromo-lithograph of an unidentified Spanish beauty. The chromolith, circa 1903, was a reproduction of a painting by Friedrich August von Kaulbach, the pre-eminent portrait artist in Germany from the 1870s until his death in 1920. He painted everyone who was anyone — from the crown heads of Europe, including Tsar Nicholas and his family, to American society ladies, to the reigning performers of the day, including opera and screen star Geraldine Farrar and modern dance icon Isadora Duncan.
This portrait was striking. A beautiful image I was at once curious. Who was this woman? Elegantly costumed, bejeweled and poised, this was not your generic gypsy! A famous diva posing as “Carmen” perhaps? A well-known dancer such as La Carmencita who was immortalized by John Singer Sargent? One look in the book Friedrich August von Kaulbach, 1850-1920: Monographie und Werkverzeichnis by Klaus Zimmermanns (Prestel, 1980) revealed not one but six portraits of this mystery woman, dancer Rosario Guerrero.
Now the question is not “Who is this woman?” but “Who was Rosario Guerrero?” Who was this woman who had enough celebrity to warrant six portraits by one of the most famous artist of his day? And so I started by quest for the history of “La Belle Guerrero.” |