Francisco Hernández Monjo

FRANCISCO HERNÁNDEZ MONJO (Mahón, Menorca, 1862 – Barcelona, 1937).
“Boats on the Coast.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 30 x 50 cm; 54 x 73 cm (frame).

A prominent marine painter specializing in depictions of boats, Hernández Monjó was the leading innovator of the marine genre in the Balearic Islands in the late 19th century. Born into a family of silversmiths, he devoted himself to sketching the ports and boats of Mahón from a very young age. By the age of twenty-three, he was already teaching art in Mahón, where he had numerous students. In 1890, he settled in Barcelona, where he completed his training at the School of Fine Arts under Eliseo Meifrén. That same year, he participated in the National Exhibition in Madrid. He also participated in the Barcelona General Exhibitions of 1894 and 1920, and in 1936 in the First Salon of Independents. He also held exhibitions in South America, where his work was very well received. In 1898, the Tasso company in Barcelona commissioned him to create a collection of watercolors of warships for the book *La Armada Española*. He exhibited in Mahón, Madrid, Barcelona, and South America, always receiving a warm reception from both the public and critics. In his early period, his work can be classified within the realist painting tradition of the second half of the 19th century. Drawing takes precedence over color; his brushstrokes are flat and not very impasto; and his color palette is soft and uniform, dominated by blues, greens, and whites. These works often feature a low horizon, with the sky occupying most of the canvas. In 1890, with his move to a new residence, a new phase in his painting began, characterized by the influence of Catalan landscape painters, especially Meifrén. Hernández Monjó introduced new elements such as diagonal composition, in which choppy seas, ships with unfurled sails, and a contrasting sky serve as the central motifs. His brushstrokes became denser, firmer, and shorter, and he incorporated warmer tones—such as pinks and reds—into his palette. The final phase of his work, beginning in 1920, is characterized by a luminous exuberance rooted in Impressionism and by a more impasto brushstroke in vivid tones, resulting in compositions of tremendous power. His subject matter broadened to include views of the Catalan coast and its surroundings. Hernández Monjó’s works are primarily held in private collections, though his pieces can also be found at the Museum of Menorca, the Ateneo de Mahón, the Barcelona Nautical School, and the Museu de les Drassanes in Barcelona.