Ismael Blat i Monzó

ISMAEL BLAT I MONZÓ (Menimámet, 1901 - 1976). "Native". Charcoal and chalk on paper. Signed in the lower right corner. Measurements: 64 x 49 cm; 90 x 75 cm (frame). Ismael Blat i Monzó specialized in genre subjects, portraits, still lifes and flowers. His style tended to stand out for the elegance of his models. In 1913 he began to work in the ceramic factory of Gregorio Muñoz Dueñas in Manises, where he was in charge of the drawing of the tiles. It was there where he consolidated his fame as a ceramic painter. Two years later he also began to work in Justo Vilar's ceramic factory. Apart from these jobs, he complemented his studies at the School of Fine Arts of San Carlos, where he received drawing classes at night and where he had Isidoro Granelo Fillol and Constantino Gómez Salvador as teachers. In 1917 he enters the Colegio Mayor San Juan de Ribera and finishes his studies. He moved to Madrid and traveled to France, Belgium, Holland, England and Morocco. He also traveled to Mexico, Venezuela and Central America, and in 1950 he went to Cuba where he exhibited his work. In 1954, he exhibited at the Conference Hall of the National Capitol in Havana. In 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power, Ismael Blat decided to return to Benimámet.