J. Wirth, possibly Eliseo Meifrèn

"J. WIRTH"; possibly ELISEO MEIFRÈN ROIG (Barcelona, 1857 - 1940).
"Marina".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 75 x 40 cm; 77,5 x 42,5 cm (frame).

Formally we can frame this work within the Spanish landscape painting current of the late nineteenth century, and more specifically with the work of Catalan authors of the time as Eliseo Meifrèn (1859-1940) who, from an initial language of marked detail, evolved into a clearly impressionistic style in his later years. Thus, in Meifrèn's mature works we see this same purely chromatic and luminous treatment of the landscape, which leaves aside the meticulous description of the real model to capture an impression of nature, a purely visual and purely plastic image, in which the loose, impastoed and precise brushstroke configures shapes and spaces based on the juxtaposition of colors. Thus, as in Meifrèn's mature work, here the forms are blurred and become pure expressive stain; the light, worked and thought, acquires a renewed protagonism, and nature takes on a new atmospheric dimension, which goes beyond the pure reproduction of reality. On the other hand, it should be noted that there are theories that point out that this very prolific painter used the pseudonym "J. Wirth" to sign many of his paintings, especially those that were far from his most identifiable style.