Lluis Graner

LLUIS GRANER ARRUFÍ (Barcelona, 1863 - 1929).
"Three men reading".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the left corner.
Measurements: 55 x 70 cm; 70 x 85 cm (frame).
Scene of interior of tavern, with three characters arranged as a frieze and swirling next to each other. Graner takes advantage of this costumbrista theme to deploy his singular work in the naturalistic capture of types and situations, masterfully modeled with the handling of light. A light that, as in this composition brimming with lyricism, is projected from below to illuminate and model the faces of the protagonists. Lluís Graner's work is distinguished by his masterful treatment of genre themes and his expressive use of tenebrist light, elements that endow his compositions with an intimate and emotional atmosphere. Through scenes of everyday life, Graner captures the essence of the people and their traditions, highlighting the humanity of his characters with a touching realism. His mastery of tenebrism, influenced by the baroque school, allows him to intensify the drama of his works, using hallmarks of light to model figures and direct the viewer's attention to the most symbolic moments. In this way, his painting transcends the mere representation of customs, becoming a profound exploration of light as a narrative and emotional resource.
Luis Graner studied at the La Lonja School in Barcelona, where he was a disciple of Benito Mercadé and Antonio Caba, and in 1886 he moved to Paris thanks to a scholarship from the Diputació de Barcelona. During his five years in the French capital he obtained two third medals in the Universal Exhibitions of Barcelona (1888) and Paris (1889). Settled again in Barcelona in 1891, he continued to participate in important international exhibitions, such as those of Berlin (1891), Munich (1892), Dusseldorf (1904). He also sent works to the National Fine Arts Exhibitions, obtaining a third medal in 1895 and 1897, second in 1901 and a decoration in 1904. That same year Graner created the Sala Mercè, designed by Gaudí, where he organized his "musical visions", shows that combined poetry with music, scenography with cinema. Finally, ruined, he moved to America. He arrived in New York in 1910, and that same year held a solo exhibition at the Edward Brandus Gallery. The success of this exhibition brought Graner important commissions, among them the portrait of the tycoon Carlos B. Alexander. After spending five months in Barcelona, Graner left again for New York, his final destination being Havana. In 1911 he left Cuba to move to New Orleans, and soon after he was already in San Francisco. There he inaugurated an exhibition of seventy-six paintings, held at the California Club, which was the largest solo show ever held to date in the city. At the same time, he painted several tapestries for the film director David W. Griffith. Before the end of the year he is back in New York, where he again exhibits individually with great success. He continues to paint portraits of important national figures, and in 1912 he holds another key exhibition, this time at The Ralston Galleries (New York). In the following years he will continue with his brilliant international career in Brazil and Chile, to finally return to the United States, where he will remain due to the outbreak of the Great War, passing through New York, New Orleans, Chicago and other cities, always exhibiting his painting with great success. In the twenties he traveled to Argentina, Uruguay and Cuba, and finally in New Orleans he was prostrated by a serious illness that irreparably damaged his mind, also transforming his work, which lost the strength and transcendence of his previous stages. Broke and ill, unable to find a market for his paintings, he finally returned to Barcelona in 1928, shortly before his death, after eighteen years of glory that ended in hardship. That same year he exhibited individually at the Ritz Hotel and at the Layetanas Galleries in Barcelona, and at the end of the year he held an important retrospective at the Sala Parés, before finally passing away in May 1929 at the age of sixty-six. His work is present in the Prado Museum, the MACBA of Barcelona, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Hispanic Society of New York and the Balaguer Museum of Vilanova i la Geltrú, among others, as well as in important Catalan private collections.