Carles Nadal

CARLES NADAL FARRERAS (Paris, 1917 - Sitges, Barcelona, 1998).
"Marina", Normandy.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner. Signed, titled and located on the back.
With Atelier stamp on the back.
Attached certificate issued by Alejandro Nadal, son of the artist.
Measurements: 54 x 65 cm; 73,5 x 85 cm (frame).

In Carles Nadal's production, the views of Trouville-sur-Mer represent one of the peaks of his maturity, where his vibrant and optimistic language meets the tradition of the French coastal landscape. This work is not a mere geographical representation, but an exercise in style where Nadal fuses the compositional structure of post-impressionism with the chromatic freedom of Fauvism. The influence of the French school is palpable in the organization of the scene, where the artist picks up the witness of masters such as Raoul Dufy in the lightness of his stroke, relating his work to that joie de vivre that defines his most celebrated production. Here, color functions as true architecture; the facades of the Norman villas and the beach huts are not static elements, but planes of pure color that structure the painting. There is a constant dialogue with the formal synthesis of the great landscape painters of northern France, especially in the treatment of the skies and the dynamism of the sea, resolved with nervous brushstrokes that capture the Atlantic atmosphere without losing the Mediterranean warmth that always accompanied the artist.

The choice of Trouville-sur-Mer as a theme is not accidental, since this historic enclave of the belle époque places Nadal's work in a genealogy of great international prestige by identifying the port, the lighthouse and the iconic villas of the area. In this way, the painting transcends the concept of generic landscape to become a cultural and territorial document where geography acts as a legitimizing framework that connects the painter with global collecting. In terms of the market, the pieces that portray Normandy have a strategic added value; the link with the territory not only activates the interest of regional institutions, but also consolidates the work as an investment asset as Trouville is a recognized brand in the imaginary of 20th century art.

Son of the painter Santiago Nadal, Carles Nadal was trained in Barcelona and later in Paris, where he joined the circles of the School of Paris, participating in the Présence de l'Homme group and the Salons d'Automne. He later resided in Belgium, consolidating an international career with exhibitions in France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. He was distinguished with the Grand Prix de Spa (Belgium) and appointed member of the Royal Academy of London.

His work is represented in institutions such as the MACBA (Barcelona), the Spa Museum (Belgium) and the Royal Museum of Brussels.