Enrique Serra y Auqué

ENRIQUE SERRA Y AUQUÉ (Barcelona, 1859 - Rome, 1918).
"Laguna Pontina", Rome, 1890.
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated and located in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 53 x 99 cm; 70 x 117 cm (frame).
Enrique Serra, Catalan but a Roman by adoption, always felt linked to the landscapes of the Pontine plain, which he captured in his work, paying special attention to the ponds of this area, which has as its centre the city of Terracina, where the painter lived for a time. Serra depicts these landscapes with his personal naturalistic language, under twilight atmospheres of nuanced, sombre colours that create an atmosphere of solitude, nostalgia and a certain mystery. In fact, Serra's symbolic environmental background influenced other Catalan artists who travelled to Rome and came into contact with him, such as Nicolás Raurich.
Enrique Serra began his training at the La Lonja School in Barcelona, where he was a disciple of Ramón Martí Alsina and Domingo Talarn. In 1879 he travelled to Rome to further his studies, thanks to a scholarship granted by the Masriera brothers, the Torruella silversmiths and the Marquis of Castellvell. When he settled permanently in the Italian capital, his works were very well received, and he received commissions from such prominent figures as Pope Leo XIII, who entrusted him with the execution of his portrait, as well as of a Virgin to be reproduced in mosaic and given to the monastery of Ripoll, then undergoing restoration (1871). He was a member of the Círculo Internacional and a member of the Academia Chigi, and became friends with Mariano Fortuny, with whom he painted a number of casacons. In 1879 he exhibited at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, and took part in the Berlin Exhibition in 1886, the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in 1888, various Fine Arts exhibitions in Barcelona between 1891 and 1907 and the National Exhibition in Madrid in 1895. That same year he set up his studio in Paris, to which many young Spanish artists flocked. As an illustrator he collaborated with "La Ilustración Española y Americana". His work was recognised with numerous awards, including the Third Medal at the Madrid National and the Gold Medal at the Barcelona Universal. Serra focused mainly on visions of the Pontine lagoons, melancholic and virtuosic works. He is represented in the Fine Arts Museums of the Vatican, the Prado, Glasgow, Magdeburg, Santiago de Chile, Barcelona and Álava, among others.