Joan Rebull

JOAN REBULL (Reus, 1899 - Barcelona, 1981).
"Nu estirat".
Marble.
Wood base.
Signed.
Work published in the book "Rebull", Cultural Centre of the Palau de la Virreina, September-October nº74, 1982. Barcelona City Council.
Measurements: 138 x 50 x 56 cm (sculpture); 7,5 x 150 x 65 cm (base).

Joan Rebull found in the female figure the central axis of his artistic language, and the work in question, as delicate as it is spiritual, constitutes a paradigmatic example of this sensitivity, condensing the essence with which the sculptor gave form to some of his most iconic creations. In it, the naked body of a young woman, withdraws on itself in an attitude of serene introspection. The interplay of twists and volumes - what Rebull called the "horizontal rectangle" - gives the composition a dynamic balance that combines strength and seclusion. The modeling, sober and precise, reveals a refined anatomical understanding and a naturalism that flees from academic idealism to approach a tangible, almost tactile beauty. The face, with its soft and meditative features, reinforces the intimate and contemplative character of the piece.

In fact, Rebull explored this motif in different variants, some in white marble commissioned by Josep Tarradellas and Tomàs Seix, and others linked to previous sculptures such as Nu recolzat and Nu ajagut, inspired by Matisse. Variations of the work can be seen today in the gardens of the Palauet Albéniz in Barcelona, the Museu Mar i Cel in Sitges, Reus City Hall and Sant Feliu de Guíxols, testifying to the relevance of this theme in his career and his position as an indisputable reference in 20th century European sculpture.

Considered as the most outstanding Catalan sculptor of his time, Joan Rebull began in the world of sculpture in his hometown, with the sculptor Pau Figueres. In 1915 he moved to Barcelona to begin his artistic training at the School of Fine Arts of La Lonja, while working in the workshop of the marble artist Bechini. In 1916 he made his individual debut with an exhibition at the Centro de Lectura in Reus, and the following year he founded, together with other artists, the group known as "Els Evolucionistes", which aimed to replicate the Catalan Noucentisme. In 1921 he traveled to London and Paris, cities where he was particularly impressed by the ancient art housed in their museums. Between 1926 and 1929 he lived in the French capital and took part in the Salon des Indépendants, although he also sent works to exhibitions in Barcelona. In Paris he was the first artist hired by the prominent Catalan art dealer Joan Merli. On his return he was appointed president of the new Montjuic Salon (1932) and a member of the Sant Jordi Academy (1934), took part in various exhibitions in Madrid and Barcelona and, in 1938, won the Campeny Prize at the Salon d'Automne in Barcelona. After the war, he went into exile in Paris, where he took an active part in artistic life, attending the exhibition "Le Jeune Sculpture Française" and the Salons d'Automne. He returns to Barcelona in 1948, and three years later he obtains a great prize in the I Bienal Hispanoamericana de Arte de Madrid. In 1962 he was appointed professor at the School of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi, and shortly before his death he was awarded the gold medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya. A child of noucentista perfectionism and a great draughtsman, Rebull works with great technical mastery and certainty in the path to follow. His is a direct and anti-rhetorical sculpture, based on a serene and essential vision of reality. His style can be defined as a reencounter with the source of classicism, from which he never copies the consequences. He is represented in the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Reina Sofia National Center, the Barcelona City Hall, the Monastery of Montserrat and the Palau de la Música Catalana, among other centers.