Antoni Utrillo

ANTONI UTRILLO VIADERA (Barcelona, 1867 - 1944).
"The dance". ca. 1900.
Charcoal drawing, pastel and watercolor on paper.
Signed in the lower margin.
Measurements: 52 x 34 cm; 87,5 x 68,5 cm (frame).

Antoni Utrillo captures in this drawing a dynamic and elegant scene of a dance, focusing the attention on a couple moving gracefully in the center of the composition. The technique combines the expressive power of charcoal, which defines the contours and gives depth to the figures, with the softness and color nuances of pastel, which bring life and texture to the drawing. She is the main protagonist. She wears a long dress, which opens forming soft shells at the bottom, suggesting the cadence and rhythm of the dance.

A painter trained at the School of La Lonja in Barcelona, with Antonio Caba, and a boarder in Paris, where he worked in the workshops of Coutois and Colin, Antoni Utrillo became known in various exhibitions in Barcelona. He was co-founder of the Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, of the permanent board of the Unió Catalanista and of the magazine "Utrillo & Rialp". He was also dedicated to the poster, within the modernist style. He later lived in Buenos Aires, where he worked as a portrait painter and painted important murals. He is currently represented in the Museum of Catalan Modernism.