Francesc Sardà Ladico

FRANCESC SARDÀ LADICÓ (Barcelona, 1877 - 1912).
"Yes or no?". 1906.
Charcoal on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Published and reproduced in the magazine "L'Esquella de la Torratxa", January 12, 1906.
Measurements: 54 x 43 cm; 69,5 x 58 cm (frame).

In this remarkable drawing, Francesc Sardà represents a marriage request of a handsome young man to his beloved, a woman of the high bourgeoisie who appears shy and stunned.

Francesc Sardà trained at the Baixas Academy in his hometown. When he finished his artistic studies, together with a career as a lawyer, he went to Madrid, where he spent a long period studying at the Prado Museum, paying special attention to the works of Velázquez. He then went to Paris, where he studied in the main academies of the city. As a painter he stood out for his oil portraits, although he was especially successful as a draughtsman and illustrator. His works were highly valued in a solo exhibition at the Sala Parés in Barcelona in 1904, and his drawings -realistic and of great technical quality- were widely published in magazines of the time. He collaborated with "Quatre Gats", "Hispania", "Joventut", "Ilustració Levantina", "Catalunya Artística", "Hojas Selectas" and "La Campana Catalana" and also, on a regular basis, in important publications such as "L'Esquella de la Torratxa", "La Ilustració Catalana" or "La Ilustración Artística", where he shared the limelight with the best illustrators of the time. He also collaborated with Spanish and German publishers. He lived a withdrawn life, always fleeing from exhibitions, locked up in his studio, so he exhibited his work on very few occasions. However, after his untimely death, his friends and admirers gathered more than a hundred works that were presented in a posthumous exhibition in 1912. He is currently represented at the MACBA.