Joaquim Mir

JOAQUIM MIR TRINXET, (Barcelona, 1873 - 1940).
"Landscape with houses".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 44 x 36,5 cm; 67,5 x 60 cm (frame).

Joaquim Mir, one of the great innovators of the Spanish landscape, unfolds in this landscape a vibrant scene by means of the masterful use of an energetic brushstroke and a contrasted palette. In a solution characteristic of his work, the field opens up empty in the foreground, allowing the author to dedicate to it a symphonic play of colors and stains that suggest the alternation of bushes and soil in sienna tones. Thus, the peaceful village glimpsed in the distance is enriched by this burst of Mediterranean lights unified by a sky devoid of clouds.

Joaquim Mir Trinxet is considered one of the greatest exponents of Spanish post-impressionist landscape painting and one of the most outstanding figures of Catalan art at the beginning of the 20th century. His training at the San Jordi School of Fine Arts and his link with the Colla del Safrà (a group of Catalan artists who experimented with color and light) marked the beginning of an innovative career. At the end of the 19th century, his time in Madrid and his close relationship with Barcelona's modernism, through circles such as Els Quatre Gats, consolidated his artistic language, although his true transformation came with his stay in Mallorca, where he discovered a landscape that would forever change his way of painting. His work was recognized with numerous awards, including the First Medal at the International Exhibition of Fine Arts in Barcelona (1907), the National Prize of Fine Arts (1917) and the Medal of Honor at the National Exhibition in Madrid (1930), a prize he had been pursuing for years. Although he focused his production in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, his work transcended borders, being exhibited in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Washington, New York and Buenos Aires. Today, his legacy can be found in some of the most prestigious collections in Spain and the world, with works in the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña (MNAC), the Museo del Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Reina Sofía, among others. His ability to transform landscape into a sensory experience makes him an essential figure in modern Spanish painting.