Josep Serrasanta

JOSEP SERRASANTA (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1916 - Valldoreix, Barcelona, 1998).
"Rural landscape with figures".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 37 x 45 cm; 50 x 58 cm (frame).
Born in Argentina although of Catalan parents, Serrasanta lived in Catalonia since his childhood. There he studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of La Lonja, and completed his training as a disciple of Francesc Gimeno. Although he also tackled other themes such as still life, he soon achieved notoriety thanks to his beautiful landscapes of small abandoned villages, and also for his popular types, such as his famous gitanillas de Barcelona (little gypsies of Barcelona). He also cultivated the mural painting, making in this field in tempera, fresco or oil decorations in various Catalan churches. Especially noteworthy are the admired murals he painted in the church of Santa Maria de Castelldefels (1950-58), as well as the paintings of the three domes of the cathedral of Lleida. He exhibited individually in Tarrasa and, later, in the Augusta galleries in Barcelona in 1950. He also held personal exhibitions on several occasions in Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, Paris and various cities in the United States and Japan. In his work, of traditional concept, the energetic use of the palette knife and the vibrant chromatism stand out. In 1964 he won the Grand Prix International de Cannes, and later the French Government awarded him the Grand Croix du Commandeur au Mérite National Française. He is currently represented in various public and private collections, mainly in Catalonia.