19th century Catalan school

Catalan school of the 19th century.
"Boats by the breakwater".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
With apocryphal signature in the central right area.
It presents faults in the frame.
Measurements: 115 x 200 cm; 126 x 211 cm (frame).

We see in this canvas a costumbrista scene starred by some boats of fishermen that go into the sea, moving away from the breakwater. The gleaming of the waves against the construction seems an echo of the ominous sky full of clouds. The painter's mastery succeeds in conveying to the viewer the roar of the waves and the wind, the sublime impression, of romantic heritage, of one who contemplates the power of nature and feels impotent before it. The composition is simple, avoiding anecdotal details that could break the atmosphere and the narrative, and the natural elements -the sea and the sky- are the absolute protagonists. The immeasurable dimension of both is nevertheless indicated through the human elements of the composition, dwarfed not only by the distance, but also by the monumentality of the water and the sky.