TELEPHONE:
ADDRESS:
Carretera de la Fuensanta, 5. 19140 – Horche
ACTIVITY
The workshop of Artemartínez S.L. was founded in 1942 in the village of Horche, in the Alcarria region some 12km from the city of Guadalajara, by Juan Francisco Martínez, a mason and plasterer by trade.
Given that by the end of the Spanish Civil War many… of the area’s churches had been gutted, Juan Francisco decided to open a workshop for making plaster altarpieces. This was a demanding process in that the nature of his materials meant he had to make the altarpieces in the churches themselves, requiring him to spend much of his time away from Horche.
Over time Juan Francisco gradually replaced plaster with wood, a material that allowed him to work from Horche and then to travel to other villages with altarpieces ready for assembly. This change of material was vital to his workshop’s continuity, as they began to receive commissions not just for altarpieces but also for image carriers, parade floats, pews and all sorts of other church furnishings.
José Antonio Martínez, son of Juan Francisco, continued the enterprise that his father had begun. Currently the workshop is run by José Antonio’s sons: Álvaro and David Martínez.
Artemartínez specialises chiefly in altarpieces but its work embraces all kinds of liturgical items made of wood: altars, rostrums, parade floats, image carriers, niches, lecterns, seats, stalls, kneelers, confessionals or pews. They also make wooden religious imagery.
The workshop’s output since 1942 has been huge, as every year they make an average of 10 to 14 altarpieces. The larger ones, over 10m high, are normally built in phases, in various panels.
Their work involves not just new items but also many restorations. The workshop is organised in two departments: woodwork and decoration. Woodwork in turn has two sections: one for making the structures of altarpieces and another for carving imagery and decorative elements. In the other part of the workshop the pieces are finished using various decorative techniques: gilding with gold leaf, estofado gold varnish of various qualities, walnut finish or glazing.
Their workforce is made up of woodworkers, wood-carvers, restorers, gilders and painters with many years’ experience.
TRAINING
Juan Francisco Martínez, founder of the workshop, learned the mason’s trade from his father, then specialised in decorative plasterwork. Before opening his workshop he was already known for his artistic finishes and his craft with plaster. José Antonio Martínez learned in the workshop. In 1997… he was awarded the title of Master Artisan by the government of Castilla-La Mancha. Álvaro and David Martínez also learned on the family premises when young. David specialised in woodwork and Álvaro in decoration.
TEACHING
Since their workshop first opened, several generations of craftspeople have learned the trades of woodworking, carving, gilding or polychromy there. Given that traditional trades are learned necessarily by continual practice, all trainees start with a basic grounding in the rudiments. Slowly, with steady application, they… acquire the technique and skill required to master the craft and to work efficiently. The workshop also has staff that have had formal artistic training in heritage restoration and conservation and in fine arts.
SELECTED WORK
Examples of their most notable altarpieces include:
– Main altarpiece of the Church of Santa María Magdalena in Mondéjar (Guadalajara province), modelled on one destroyed during the Civil War. This is the largest altarpiece made by the workshop, at a height of 18.5m
– Main altarpiece… of the Church of Santiago Apóstol in San Clemente (Cuenca province), built in the 1990s
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Nicolás de Bari in Priego (Cuenca province), modelled on one destroyed in the Civil War. For this church they also made altarpieces to go at the ends of the aisles
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Esteban in Albares (Guadalajara province), modelled on one destroyed in the Civil War
– Side altarpiece of the Holy Christ of Peace and Health in the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Carabaña (Madrid province)
– Main altarpiece of the Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Salobrar in Jaraíz de la Vera (Cáceres province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Esteban in Humanes (Guadalajara province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of La Asunción in Villamayor de Santiago (Cuenca province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of Santa María de la Antigua (Madrid), modelled on one destroyed in the Civil War
– Main and side altarpieces of the Chapel of La Virgen del Puerto (Madrid)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of La Asunción in Alfambra (Teruel province)
– Altarpiece of Our Lady of Solitude in Estremera (Madrid province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Miguel in Abengibre (Albacete province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in El Molar (Madrid province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of Santiago Apóstol in Albatera (Alicante province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Andrés Apóstol in Alcalá de Júcar (Albacete province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Aranzueque (Guadalajara province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Miguel Arcángel in Valdecaballeros (Badajoz province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of La Asunción de Nuestra Señora in Quero (Toledo province)
– Main altarpiece of the Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies, Church of Los Santos Mártires (Málaga province)
– Altarpieces of Our Lady of the Pillar and the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Church of Santiago Apóstol in Totana (Murcia province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Presentación in Torres de Albanchez (Jaén province)
– Main altarpiece of the Church of San Juan Bautista in Siete Aguas (Valencia province)
