Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaletawas was a Spanish Genre and portrait painter noted for his theatrical paintings of figures from spanish culture and folklore depicting of traditional spanish characters, including peasants, gypsies and bullfighters.
Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta born in Eibar, near the monastery of Loyola. He was the son of metalworker and damascener Plácido Zuloaga and grandson of the organizer and director of the royal armoury in Madrid. In his youth, he drew and worked in his father's workshop. He was educated by the Jesuits in France.
His father wanted him to be an architect, and with this objective in mind, he was sent to Rome, where he immediately followed the strong impulse that led him to painting.