Joan Cardona

JOAN CARDONA I LLADÓS (Barcelona, 1877 - 1957).
"Ladies in a Garden", Paris, ca. 1900.
Mixed media on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measures: 33 x 24 cm; 53 x 39 cm (frame).
Two Parisian ladies, seated on a garden bench, chattering about their affairs while a gentleman tries to join in the conversation. This type of cheerful, spontaneous picture, set in elegant surroundings, was characteristic of Cardona's work, reflecting the life of the most idle Parisian circles. From 1900, when he settled in Paris, until 1914, when the First World War sent him back to Barcelona, he was one of the most renowned illustrators in the French capital. Considered one of the most renowned artists of international fame, his elegant and glamorous Parisian illustrations gave a name to the "Cardona style" during the Belle Époque.

Apprenticed at the Escola de Belles Arts de la Lonja and at the Baixeras Academy in Barcelona, he furthered his studies in Paris, where he settled for several years. In the French capital he formed a group with the best illustrators of the time, such as Cappiello, Sem, Steinlen and Roubille. A painter and draughtsman, he developed an important activity in the field of illustration, collaborating with Spanish magazines such as "El Gato Negro" and "Hispania", and in the French magazines "Le Rire" and "Simplicissimus". His collaboration with "Jugend", the flagship magazine of Viennese modernism, the Jugendstil, stands out. During his Parisian period Cardona achieved international fame thanks to his pen drawings, characterised by the sharpness of the line and strong expressive values. On the contrary, in his painting he subordinates line to colour, with warm tones in his early years and cold ranges in his maturity. His paintings, of great expressive force and dense impasto, define the leading role of the woman, who is outlined against vibrant, almost abstract backgrounds, in a style that brings him close to Anglada Camarasa. In 1897 he was awarded a prize in the competition organised by the Mariana Academy of Lleida. He exhibited in Paris at the Salons d'Automne and the Salons de la Societé Nationale, obtaining the title of "societaire" at both. He took part in the International Fine Arts Exhibitions in Barcelona in 1907 and 1929. He is represented at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris.