The Spanish Realist of Badajoz To look at the work of Felipe Checa is to confront the disciplined reality of nineteenth-century Spain. He was not a painter of abstract concepts but one of tangible objects and light. Operating primarily out of Badajoz, his practice adhered to the strictures of Academic art and the observational demands of Costumbrismo. His presence in the Spanish art scene was defined by a commitment to the physical world, captured through oil on canvas and wood. His technical focus remained grounded in the study of nature and domesticity. The works that survive offer a dire…