Alberto Pla Rubio

ALBERTO PLA RUBIO (Villanueva de Castellón, Valencia, 1867 - Barcelona, 1937).
"Beach scene".
Oil on cardboard.
Signed and dedicated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 33 x 40 cm; 49 x 56 cm (frame).

A grandmother with the head covered by a handkerchief that protects it of the sun bathes a small boy in the shore of the sea, taking it of the arms. Behind them, two children holding hands go into the sea, skirting the hull of a small boat. In the distance, sailboats sail the horizon. The breeze materializes in the form of brief waves that give a vivid rhythm to the composition. The navy is resolved with a vibrant stroke that makes the light reverberate everywhere. The Sorolla influence in Alberto Pla has been taken to a terrain of its own, exultant with personality. It is frequent in the painter's production to mix beach themes with costumbrismo figures, as on this occasion.

Pla Rubio studied art at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he was a student of Alejandro Ferrant, and later expanded his training at the San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia and in the workshop of Ignacio Pinazo. He participated in numerous exhibitions, obtaining first medal in the National Fine Arts of 1895 for his canvas "¡A la guerra!", and consideration of first medal in the 1901 edition, for "¡Pobres madres!". The same award was granted to him in 1899 at the General Exhibition of Fine Arts held in Barcelona, as well as in Munich in 1913. He was also awarded a second medal at the Paris Salon of 1901. He combined painting with teaching, which he did from the Academies of Fine Arts of Valencia and Cadiz, as well as from the School of La Lonja in Barcelona from 1903. After a first anecdotal stage, of realistic language and meticulous brushstroke, his style evolved towards a mature style of impressionist character, combined with a luminous concern of Sorollista influence and a much looser invoice. Currently, Pla Rubio is represented in the Prado Museum (work on deposit in the City Council of Alcalá de Henares), the Nelson Zúmel Collection of the Provincial Museum of Lugo, the Fine Arts Museum of Valencia and the MACBA in Barcelona, among others, in addition to having work in prominent private collections.