Menchu Gal

MENCHU GAL ORENDAIN (Irun, 1918 - San Sebastian, 2008)
"Rural scene".
Double-sided watercolor on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 29 x 48 cm; 55 x 72 cm (frame).

Watercolor made with the freshness and spontaneity characteristic of Menchu Gal, in which the artist recreates a rural landscape with a luminous atmosphere through a loose and transparent brushstroke. The stains of color, applied with lightness, build the vegetation, the popular architecture and the daily elements of the environment with a remarkable chromatic sensitivity.

The work is also painted on both sides, with another landscape scene on the back, which reinforces its character of direct sketching from nature, so common in the artist's practice.

Menchu Gal was one of the great Spanish painters of the 20th century, especially recognized for her landscapes of intense color and free brushstroke. She trained in Irun, Paris - where she became acquainted with the work of Matisse and Fauvism - and the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid.

Linked to the so-called Madrid School, his painting focused mainly on the landscapes of Bidasoa and La Mancha, establishing himself as a leading figure in the artistic renewal of the Spanish post-war period.

In 1959 she received the National Painting Prize, being the first woman to obtain it. Throughout her career she exhibited in major international cities such as Venice, Brussels and New York, participated in several editions of the Venice Biennale and her work is preserved in institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, among others.