Antonio Vila Arrufat

ANTONIO VILA ARRUFAT (Sabadell, 1894 - Barcelona, 1989).
"Landscape", 1945.
Ink drawing on paper.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 29 x 23 cm; 49 x 43 cm (frame).

Antonio Vila Arrufat was formed in Barcelona and Madrid thanks to a scholarship of the City council of Sabadell. After traveling through France and Italy, he stood out especially as a muralist painter of religious themes and as an engraver, a discipline he also taught at the School of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi, where he became a professor. His work, partly linked to Noucentisme but always independent and personal, is characterized by a serene, balanced and highly sensitive style, influenced by the realism of the nineteenth century and nuanced by modern trends such as cubism and constructivism. He cultivated the figure, landscape, still life and engraving, excelling in mural painting. He exhibited in Spain and abroad, received important awards - such as the Medal of Honor at the National Exhibition of Barcelona (1942) - and was a member of the Royal Academies of San Fernando and Sant Jordi. In 1984 he received a large anthological exhibition in Barcelona. Currently, his works are part of collections such as the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, the Museo de Montserrat and the Calcografía Nacional.