19th-century Spanish school.

19th-century Spanish school. Based on models by ISIDRE NONELL I MONTURIOL (Barcelona, 1873–1911).
“Portrait of a Woman,” 1894.
Charcoal on paper.
Apocryphal signature and date in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 51 x 40 cm.

The artist, following the style of Isidre Nonell, captures in this work an image of great naturalism and expressiveness, executed with masterful technique that makes full use of the expressive possibilities of charcoal. Thus, around the woman’s head, the lines become dense and indistinct, creating a vibrant, highly naturalistic shadow. On the face, however, the strokes are precise and perfectly controlled, shaping the features through the interplay of light and shadow.
A painter and draftsman, Nonell trained under Josep Mirabent, Luis Graner, and at the Martínez Altés Academy. In 1892, he exhibited at the Sala Parés, and the following year, as a member of the Academia Libre group, he took part in a group exhibition led by Rusiñol. In 1894, he participated in the Second Barcelona Fine Arts Exhibition and published drawings in *La Vanguardia*. A student at the Escuela de La Lonja in Barcelona during those years, he studied alongside Joaquín Mir, Gosé, Sunyer, and Torres-García between 1895 and 1896. In 1895, he entered the National Exhibition in Madrid for the first time, an event in which he participated several times until 1910. In 1896, he exhibited with the Colla del Safrà at the Third Barcelona Fine Arts Exhibition, where he was awarded an honorable mention. That same summer, he moved to Boí (Lleida) with Ricard Canals and Julio Vallmitjana, where he produced numerous drawings depicting cretinism, which was endemic in the area at the time due to endogamous practices. In the fall, Nonell exhibited these works at the “La Vanguardia” gallery, and early the following year he published his drawings in “Barcelona Cómica.” Shortly thereafter, he exhibited an oil painting, also of Boí, at the 14th Exhibition at the Parés Gallery. That same year, he left for Paris, once again with Canals. In April 1897, he participated in the Salon du Champ de Mars in the French capital, and toward the end of the year, he took part in the 15th Exhibition of Impressionist and Symbolist Painters, also in Paris. In early 1898, he organized a joint exhibition with Canals at the Le Barc de Boutteville gallery. He returned a few months later and showed his sketches from Paris at Els Quatre Gats, but soon returned to the French capital. There, *La Vie Moderne* had published several of his works, and he held a solo exhibition at Ambroise Vollard’s renowned gallery (1899). He returned to Barcelona, exhibiting regularly between 1902 and 1903 at the Parés Gallery and the Barcelona Ateneo, while also sending works to the Parisian salons. He also published drawings in “Papitu,” “L’Esquella de la Torratxa,” “La Campana de Gràcia,” “Quatre Gats,” and other publications. Nonell’s works are currently represented in the Reina Sofía Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona, the MAPFRE Foundation, and the Ampurdán Museum, among others.