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Product description
Watercolor "Market" Juan de Palau, 20th century - Catalan school
Extraordinary watercolor by Catalan painter Juan de Palau (1919 - 1991). It depicts an everyday scene, what appears to be a market. In the central section, two ladies seated on a town bench, dressed in simple clothes and wearing headscarves, complete the composition. Several other figures complete the composition, carrying baskets or chatting amongst themselves in a relaxed atmosphere. In the background, the stalls are covered with whitish tarpaulins, completely illuminating the work.
In this work, there is an expressive use of color and loose brushstrokes, with muted tones that convey an atmosphere of calm or stillness. The figures are somewhat schematized, but clearly recognizable, suggesting a more stylized, less realistic approach. All to the benefit of the author's expression, which shows a touch of melancholy, with some of the women looking straight ahead or to the side. This focus on the most ordinary, even marginal, people is inspired by the paintings of Isidro Nonell (1872 - 1911), an important painter of Catalan modernism. In this sense, the transformative dimension of his work is undeniable. With a vision devoid of class prejudice, and starting from his condition as a student, Nonell was able to give nobility, dignity, elegance and beauty to models who were traditionally far removed from the canons of classical beauty.
Joan de Palau i Buxó (1919 - 1991)
Born in Girona in 1919. He moved to Madrid to study architecture, but failed to complete his studies due to a lack of vocation. He soon became interested in art and met Santiago Rusiñol, who helped to forge his vocation. He frequently visited the painting galleries of the Prado Museum, where he was particularly interested in the great Spanish and Dutch masters.
In 1936, before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he returned to Catalonia and joined the army of the Republic. Once the war was over, he earned his living by designing film posters for the Majestic cinema in Granollers and making theater sets for the "Los Vieneses" variety company. Years later, in 1946, he settled permanently in Banyoles, where he used to spend summers with his family, and it was here that he met his wife. It was then that he became fully integrated into the artistic and cultural fabric of the town, which became the definitive setting for the development of his painting.
The artist devoted himself entirely to painting and drawing, using techniques such as pencil, gouache, watercolor and oil, among others. In 1940, he won the gold medal in a painting competition in Barcelona with a portrait of his mother. The following year, again with a portrait of his mother, he won first prize in the Granollers city competition. In 1949, he won the Badalona medal with a watercolor depicting the subject of his mother's portrait.
Specifications
ConditionGoodHeight87 cmWidth106 cmDepth3 cm