Josep Tapiró

JOSEP TAPIRÓ Y BARÓ, (Reus, 1836 - Tangier, 1913).
"Notes of celaje".
Pencil and chalk on paper.
Signed with testamentary seal.
Measurements: 21 x 20 cm; 41,5 x 39,5 cm (frame).

Delicate sky study in which Josep Tapiró captures different atmospheric effects through a combination of pencil and chalk on stained paper.

This type of sketches responds to the artist's usual practice of observing and recording light and atmospheric effects from nature, using the contrast between the warm tone of the paper and the light touches of the chalk to model the clouds.

The work evidences Tapiró's mastery of fast and sensitive drawing, as well as his interest in atmospheric phenomena as an essential element of the landscape.

Trained at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona and a close friend of Mariano Fortuny, Josep Tapiró developed most of his career in Tangier, where he settled permanently in 1876. There he painted numerous scenes and portraits of Moroccan life, as well as landscapes and sketches from life.

His work, especially known for its refined watercolors, enjoyed great international recognition and is today preserved in institutions such as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, the Museo del Prado or the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, among others.