Román Ribera

ROMAN RIBERA CIRERA (Barcelona, 1848–1935).
“Indoor Scene.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 92 x 73.5 cm; 108 x 89 cm (frame).

The focus on the female figure and the depiction of refined settings places this painting among the most recognizable aspects of Roman Ribera’s body of work. The two young women are the protagonists of an intimate domestic scene in which their gestures and glances suggest a story—a common device the painter used to imbue his compositions with narrative content. His skill in recreating the elegance of the society of his time is evident in his treatment of the dresses, lace, and decorative objects, which are seamlessly integrated into the interior. The work thus reflects Ribera’s ability to combine observation, refinement, and narrative sensitivity in his genre scenes.

A Catalan painter, Román Ribera studied drawing at the Escuela de La Lonja in Barcelona and painting at Pere Borrell’s academy. He furthered his studies in Rome between 1873 and 1876 and traveled to and exhibited in London. In the Italian capital, he attended the Chigi Academy and devoted himself to painting, while avoiding the influence of the Roman school’s academic affectation. In 1877, he moved to Paris, accompanied by the art dealer Adolphe Goupil, who had acquired the reproduction rights to his entire body of work. There he continued his training, this time studying scenes from Parisian street life firsthand. A year later, he participated in the Paris World’s Fair, where he achieved decisive success thanks to the three works he presented, characterized by a remarkable realism rooted in literature. However, he never quite felt at ease with this type of subject matter, and soon began to focus on depicting the elegant life of the era, in works such as “Leaving the Ball,” which he alternated with genre scenes in the Spanish Baroque tradition, such as “A Flemish Drinker.” In 1881, he took part in the National Exhibition in Madrid with precisely the aforementioned work set in a Baroque style, and in 1883 he was awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic. After twelve years in Paris, he returned to Barcelona, where he had already exhibited at the Watercolorists’ Center (1885) and at the newly opened Sala Parés. He then exhibited his work at the Artistic and Literary Association and at the Parés and Rovira galleries, as well as at the 1888 World’s Fair and the 1894 Fine Arts Exhibition, achieving great critical and public success and soon winning the favor of the wealthy Catalan bourgeoisie. In 1893, he submitted two paintings to the exhibition organized by the Ateneo de Barcelona: “Innocence” and “Incognita.” Cirera regularly exhibited his work individually at the Rovira Gallery and, as part of a group, through the Artistic and Literary Society of Catalonia. He served on various official juries, as well as on the Barcelona Museum Board in 1901. In 1915, he was named a Member of Merit of the Barcelona Artistic Circle. Upon his return to Spain, Ribera continued to depict the lives of the upper classes—the luxury of their homes, the opulence of their festive attire, and so on—becoming a faithful portraitist of the Catalan upper bourgeoisie during the Restoration, just as he had been of the French upper bourgeoisie during the Third Republic. He worked primarily in Barcelona, but he also traveled to Madrid, where he held exhibitions of his work. His works are currently held at the MACBA in Barcelona, the Museu d’Art de Girona, the Montserrat Museum, the Víctor Balaguer Library, and in various important private collections.