Joaquim Mir

Sala Parés, Barcelona
Purchased from the above by the present owner in 1976

Barcelona, Sala Parés, Pintores de fama, 1971, no. 3, illustrated in the catalogue
Madrid & Barcelona, Banco Bilbao-Vizcaya, Joaquim Mir. Cincuenta años después, 1990, illustrated in the catalogues
Palma de Mallorca, Fundació La Caixa, Joaquim Mir. Itinerari Vital, 1997-1998, no. 28, illustrated in the catalogue

The canvas has not been lined. As visible in the catalogue illustration, there is a faint horizontal stretcher mark corresponding to the upper stretcher bar, some fine lines of craquelure near the upper framing edge, and a few old minor scattered pinhead-sized spots of paint flaking in the upper right quadrant and near the centre of the left framing edge. There are no signs of retouching visible under ultraviolet light. This painting is in very good original condition. Held in a decorative gilt frame, with a white cloth-covered mount. The catalogue illustration is a reasonable representation of the original, although the colours are richer and more harmonious in reality.
"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."

Painted between 1900 and 1901, Orange Trees in Mallorca is an emblematic work from this deeply personal and important period in the artist's production. The island inspired some of Mir's most striking and original compositions, in which forms merge into evanescent fields of colour. Describing Mir's years in Mallorca, Francesc Miralles comments ‘with Joaquim Mir we enter a new dimension in landscape painting. He needs to have nature in front of him. That is why he always paints en plein air and does not make studies, because it is only the direct contemplation of nature that produces the effect of colour that only he can see' (Joaquim Mir, Antológica 1873-1940, Fundació la Caixa, Barcelona, 2009, p. 16).

Mir's passion for colour had dominated his work from the time of his association with La Colla del Safrà, the group of young artists that painted in the countryside on the outskirts of Barcelona in the late 1890s and met at Els Quatre Gats café in town. Fellow Safrà artists included Ricardo Canals and Isidro Nonell, their works characterised by a distinctive use of yellow in their palettes, and for Mir at least, the substitution of black for blue, carmine and emerald.