Lot 17
  • 17

Santiago Rusiñol

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Santiago Rusiñol
  • Cala Grisa
  • signed S. Rusiñol lower right
  • oil on canvas
  • 76 by 92cm., 30 by 36¼in.

Provenance

Iscle Soler, Barcelona (acquired from the artist)
Private collection, Spain

Exhibited

Barcelona, Sala Parés, February 1905
Palma de Mallorca, Museo Es Baluart, Rusiñol, La passió per Mallorca. Del luminisme i el simbolisme a la estampa japonesa, 2007, no. 5 (as Port Sóller)

Literature

Ilustració Catalana, no. 531, 10 August 1913, illustrated (visible in a group photograph of Iscle Soler and others in Barcelona)
Santiago Rusiñol, L'Illa de la Calma, Mallorca, 2004, illustrated on the cover

Condition

The canvas has not been lined. Ultra-violet light reveals a spot of retouching in the rocks along the lower edge to the left, probably addressing old repair (patched on the reverse, circa 3 by 3cm), scattered strokes of cosmetic retouching along the lower, left and upper edge, and a very minor spot in the small rock in the sea to the right. Scattered areas of green fluorescence which are also visible under uv light appear to correspond to traces of old residual varnish. The picture is otherwise in good condition and ready to hang. There could be some benefits with cleaning as the varnish appears to be a little cloudy in places. Presented in a decorative gilt frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

Catalogue Note

One of the leading artists of the Catalan Modernist movement together with Ramón Casas, Santiago Rusiñol was born in Barcelona in 1861. Like many other Spanish artists of the time, he moved to Paris and was drawn to the Symbolist movement notably in his use of colour, line and composition, as a means of emotional expression.

Between 1893 and 1929 the artist travelled numerous times to Mallorca, recording his trips in the book L'illa de la calma (1922). Here, he describes a beautiful remote island 'where men have no rush, where women never get old, where there are no wasted words, where the sun lingers and Mrs Moon walks slowly… this is Mallorca'. This feeling of dolce far niente is beautifully conveyed in the present work, painted around 1903-04, which depicts a peaceful bay surrounded by the Tramontana Mountains in Port Soller, on the west coast of the island.

Rusiñol's paintings of Mallorca have contributed to the promotion of the legendary beauty of the island, so much so that, upon the artist’s death in 1935, a monument was erected in his honour.