Joaquim Martra Ballbé

JOAQUIM MARTRA BALLVE (Barcelona, 1898 - 1991).
Nymphs in the field.
Pencil and pastel on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
It presents small faults in the frame.
Measurements: 61 x 100 cm; 77,5 x 117 cm (frame).
In this scene, inspired by the Greek mythology and its nymphs or maenads, they are transformed here into allegories of the Spring, with their baskets of flowers and their celebratory dances, to the sound of an aulos, the flute of Marsias. Drawer, watercolorist and engraver, Joaquim Martra developed a fruitful career as a poster artist mainly between the thirties and forties, always distinguished by the quality of his drawing and by his careful workmanship. He began his career when he was very young, and in 1919 he already participated in the collective exhibition held at the Palacio Municipal de Bellas Artes in Barcelona. Shortly afterwards, in 1923, he held an important individual exhibition at the Salón de Bellas Artes Siglo. He worked for important clients such as the Compañía General de Autobuses de Barcelona, the Montserrat Mountain Railways or the Caja de Pensiones. Also, between 1928 and 1931 he collaborated with the magazine "Lecturas". He began his career within modernism, and his language will gradually appreciate the arrival of the new style, Art Deco, both in typography and in the stylization of his figures. Martra's work is currently preserved in prominent collections such as the National Library of Madrid, the Museo del Traje in the same city and others, both public and private.