Eliseo Meifrén Barcelona 1859-1940

Antoni Gelabert, a gift from the artist; thence by descent to the present owner. Born in Palma, the Catalan painter Antoni Gelabert (1877-1932) was one of the circle of artists who, together with Meifrén, congregated at Els Quatre Gats in Barcelona.

Painted circa 1912.

Meifrén, like many of his peers - including Mir, Rusiñol, Anglada-Camarasa and Casas  - was attracted to the landscape of Mallorca. The monastery at Valdemossa, however, was as interesting for its history as it was for its attractive location high in the hills. Of particular note is its association with the composer Frédéric Chopin and the writer George Sand. 

During the winter of 1838-39 Chopin and Sand visited Mallorca to improve Chopin's failing health, eventually finding lodging at the monastery at Valdemossa. In the event, the cold and primitive conditions worsened rather than aided Chopin's recovery, but it was during his stay there that he completed his manuscript of the Preludes. A succession of short, improvisatory works that explore a single mood, texture and idea, the Preludes represent a concept and an approach that shares synaesthetic comparison with Meifrén's own work, notably the artist's lively and spontaneous use of colour and light to evoke a sense of place, as in the present example.