Rafael Durancamps i Folguera

RAFAEL DURANCAMPS I FOLGUERA, (Sabadell, 1891 - Barcelona, 1979).
"Cadaqués".
Oil on tablez.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 54 x 73 cm; 81 x 99 cm (frame).

In this painting, Durancamps works one of his favorite themes, the urban theme animated with its people. A group is gathered by the bay of Cadaqués. The bright colors of the clothes contrast with the whiteness of the houses of the picturesque town of Empordà, whose whitewashed facades gleam under a silver sky. The formal structure, based on elegant lines that outline the buildings, is balanced with the chromatic synthesis of warm and cold tones, with a studied mood effect.

Rafael Duran i Camps, better known as Durancamps, was a disciple of Vila Cinca at the Industrial School of Arts and Crafts in Sabadell. Later he met Joaquín Mir, with whom he established a close relationship, and whose style influenced the colorful language of Durancamps' first period. He exhibited for the first time in 1917, in the Layetanas Galleries of Barcelona, reaping a success that encouraged him to continue painting despite the opposition of his family. He spent several seasons in Madrid, where he studied the masters of the Prado Museum, and then traveled to Italy. He returned to Barcelona and took part in various competitions, obtaining important prizes such as the Masriera medal, as well as holding several exhibitions in the Sala Parés. In 1921 he travels for the first time to Paris, and five years later he returns to France, settling in the city of Passy until 1939. He returned to Spain and settled in San Sebastian, but continued to work closely with the Sala Parés, where he continued to exhibit until his death. He also held various exhibitions in Madrid, Sabadell, Bilbao, Valencia, London and Philadelphia. He is represented in the Museums of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, Madrid, San Sebastian and Buenos Aires, as well as in a large number of Spanish and foreign collections.