José María Tuser Vázquez — Half Veronica. Manolete — watercolor and ink on paper, c. 1960

Manolete tilts his head slightly in front of the bull. There is no crowd, noise, or architecture to distract the gaze: José María Tuser reduces the bullring to a few spots of color and focuses all the tension on the encounter between the bullfighter, the cape, and the animal.

The figure of Manolete appears drawn in on the far left, dressed in a yellow, green, and gold suit of lights that contrasts with the powerful dark mass of the bull. Between them, the cape unfolds, rendered in pinks, violets, and whites, creating the main chromatic focus of the composition. The restrained posture of the bullfighter and the proximity of the animal suggest precisely the moment of the media verónica, a term that also appears handwritten on the reverse of the work alongside the name of the matador.

Tuser works the scene with a particularly loose watercolor technique. Broad areas of paper left blank coexist with zones of more intense pigmentation, especially on the bull’s body and the suit of lights. The drawing is reinforced with dark lines and small opaque touches that define the anatomy without losing spontaneity. The result retains the immediate character of a sketch taken in the bullring, yet with a composition elaborate enough to function as an autonomous work.

The bull visually dominates the scene. Its body occupies almost the entire center and lower area of the composition, while the figure of Manolete, much smaller, stands facing it. This difference in scale accentuates the tension between both figures and allows Tuser to convey the physical proximity characteristic of bullfighting without resorting to excessive dramatic effects.

In the background, the wooden barriers of the bullring are barely hinted at through large pinkish patches and a second, highly schematic figure. The space remains deliberately open, allowing the white of the paper and the yellowish washes to create a luminous atmosphere around the protagonists.

The work is signed “tuser” in the lower right corner.

Technical Sheet

Author: José María Tuser Vázquez
Title: Media verónica. Manolete
Technique: watercolor and ink on paper, with possible touches of opaque color
Chronology: mid-20th century, probably c. 1950–1965
Dimensions: 26 × 18.5 cm
Signature: signed “tuser” in the lower right corner
Inscriptions: on the reverse, handwritten inscription “Media Veronica - Manolete”
Subject: bullfighting; Manuel Rodríguez “Manolete”
Condition: good general condition consistent with its age, with minor signs of handling and remains of previous mounting systems visible especially on the margins and reverse
Frame: not included

José María Tuser Vázquez

José María Tuser Vázquez was born in Barcelona in 1919 and developed a good part of his artistic career in Catalonia. He trained in the field of arts and crafts, and from the mid-1940s, he began to participate actively in exhibitions and artistic circles in Barcelona.

His name became particularly associated with bullfighting painting and illustration, a field in which he produced watercolors, drawings, posters, and editorial illustrations. His mastery of quick drawing and watercolor was especially well-suited for depicting the movement of bullfighters and animals, making bullring scenes one of the most recognizable motifs in his output.

In his bullfighting compositions, Tuser usually avoids an overly detailed representation. The background is frequently reduced to a few spatial references while the focus remains concentrated on the bullfighter, the bull, and the movement of the cape. This work perfectly exemplifies that approach.

Tuser’s relationship with Manolete is particularly interesting. The artist depicted the Cordovan bullfighter on different occasions and developed illustrations related to his figure. In 1963, the book Manolete, written by Gustavo Tuser and illustrated by José María Tuser, was also published as part of his work as an editorial illustrator.

This detail deserves special attention for this piece because the reverse explicitly preserves the inscription “Media Veronica - Manolete” and the dimensions, approximately 26 × 18.5 cm, are very close to formats used in illustrated publications of the time.

There is not currently sufficient documentation to state that this watercolor is one of the originals used for that publication. Therefore, it would be commercially incorrect to present it as an original illustration for the book without first locating the corresponding reproduction. However, the connection between artist, subject, chronology, theme, and format makes that possibility worthy of specific investigation.

Manolete and the media verónica

Manuel Rodríguez Sánchez, Manolete, was one of the fundamental figures of 20th-century Spanish bullfighting. His image became associated with an especially vertical, sober, and restrained way of performing different bullfighting moves.

The verónica and its closing moves held a prominent place in his iconography. In the media verónica, the bullfighter gathers the cape after the animal's pass, closing the movement around his body. This moment of proximity and containment is precisely what Tuser appears to be representing here.

Rather than offering a recognizable portrait of Manolete’s face, the artist constructs his identity through his posture and spatial relationship with the bull. The bullfighter is practically absorbed by the movement of the scene, allowing the watercolor to function simultaneously as a representation of a historical figure and as a study of movement.

Workshop Note

The small format of this work contrasts with the power of its composition. Tuser eliminates practically everything non-essential and builds the scene around three elements: the bullfighter, the cape, and the large dark mass of the bull.

Particularly interesting is the inscription preserved on the reverse, “Media Veronica - Manolete”, which identifies both the move depicted and the protagonist of the scene, preventing the work from being reduced to a generic bullfighting scene.

José María Tuser’s well-known activity as a bullfighting illustrator and his editorial connection to the figure of Manolete add a documentary dimension to the piece. Although it cannot currently be proven that it belonged to a specific publication, it constitutes a particularly relevant line of investigation.

It is advisable to preserve the reverse in its entirety and avoid any intervention on the existing inscriptions, mounting remains, or marks, as they may prove useful for reconstructing the provenance or original function of the work.