Hermenegildo Anglada-Camarasa

Private collection
Lluís Plandiura (by 1941)
Sala Parés, Barcelona
Galería del Cisne, Madrid
Purchased from the above by the present owner in 1983

Francesc Fontbona and Francesc Miralles, Anglada-Camarasa, Barcelona, 1981, p. 271, no. D79, catalogued and illustrated

The canvas has not been lined. There is a pattern of drying craquelure visible in the sky. Ultra-violet light reveals scattered spots of cosmetic retouching in the sky, notably one towards the upper right corner probably addressing paint flaking, and some spots in the dark green hues along the centre right edge. The work is overall in good condition and ready to hang. Presented in a decorative gilt frame. Colours are somewhat too saturated and too blue in the printed catalogue than in reality.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

With the outbreak of the First World War, Anglada-Camarasa left Paris for Mallorca. Executed circa 1925 -30, the present scene is a far cry from his charged Parisian night scenes; and yet the radical modern style he developed there - the use of chromatic experimentation, radiant colours and thick impasto - is still very much in evidence.

Referencing the Japanese prints the artist had certainly seen in Paris, the present work depicts that wonderful time of the year when, between the end of January and the beginning of February, Mallorcan almond trees start blossoming, covering the island with stunning white flowers.

Despite Anglada-Camarasa's love of tranquillity and the purity of life that he so relished in Mallorca, the 1920s were a period of intense international activity for him. Following a highly successful exhibition in Buenos Aires in 1924, a group of his most important works were exhibited in an exhibition that travelled to Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.