Antoni Vila Arrufat

ANTONIO VILA ARRUFAT (Sabadell, 1894 - Barcelona, 1989).
"Garden", 1952.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner. Signed, dated, located and titled on the back.
Measurements: 100 x 64 cm; 117 x 83 cm (frame).
Son of the also painter Joan Vila i Cinca (co-founder of the Academy of Fine Arts of Sabadell), and father of the painter Joan Vila-Grau, Antonio Vila Arrufat was formed mainly with his father and in the School of La Lonja of Barcelona, to finally finish his studies in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, in Madrid, thanks to a scholarship granted by the city council of Sabadell. He also made several study trips to France and Italy, and upon his return he devoted himself mainly to mural painting, especially of religious themes, highlighting especially his altar of the Blessed Sacrament in the church of the Trinity of Vilafranca del Penedés (1935) and those of the Sala de la Ciutat in the City Hall of Barcelona (1950), the latter in oil on canvas. He was also an outstanding engraver, and taught engraving at the School of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi in Barcelona, where he was later appointed professor (1949 - 1958). He was a member of the Royal Academies of San Fernando and Sant Jordi, and exhibited in Spain, Italy, France and Argentina. His mature work developed from the twenties onwards, focusing on figures and maternity with an intimate tone, and is characterized by its sharpness and the noucentista serenity of its setting. He won several awards, including the medal of honor at the National Exhibition in Barcelona (1942) and the first medal for engraving in Madrid (1948). Although certain critics have linked him to Noucentisme, and because of his age he belongs to the generation of 17, Vila Arrufat was always an independent painter in his work and faithful to his personal temperament, completely timeless. Today considered a classic of modernity, he picked up the spirit of the realist painting of the 19th century and added it to his vision nuanced by cubism, constructivism and the neo-figurative currents of the 20th century. Throughout his extensive career he cultivated the figure, still life, landscape and engraving, as well as excelling especially in mural painting. Since 1919, when he held his first exhibition at the Galeries Laietanes in Barcelona, he presented his work in different Catalan cities, as well as in Madrid and Seville and, outside our borders, in Buenos Aires and Venice, among other cities. Five years before his death, in 1984, the Barcelona City Council dedicated an important anthological exhibition to him. Vila Arrufat developed a career without ups and downs, of a reiterated stylistic refinement, creating serene, balanced and harmonious works, whose workmanship is a reflection of his artistic personality. His is a painting of deep sensitivity, rich plastic and chromatic values, marked by a subtle realism that eliminates all superficiality. Vila Arrufat is currently represented in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and in the Museum of the Abbey of Montserrat, as well as in the National Chalcography.