Celso Lagar

CELSO LAGAR (Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, 1891 - Seville, 1966).
"Female nude", ca. 1910.
Grease pencil and charcoal on paper.
Signed on the lower right.
Measurements: 36 × 24 cm; 63 × 50 cm (frame).

This drawing corresponds to an early stage of Celso Lagar. The work presents a seated female figure, treated with a soft and enveloping line, in which the artist gives priority to the study of the body, the posture and the internal rhythm of the composition.

Lagar defines the anatomy through light, barely insinuated strokes that model the volume without resorting to a descriptive finish. The figure is suspended over the neutral background, concentrating attention on the collected pose, the twist of the torso and the delicacy of the face.

Celso Lagar began his training in the field of sculpture with Miguel Blay in Madrid, before moving to Barcelona and, in 1911, to Paris, where he came into contact with the avant-garde environment and artists such as Amedeo Modigliani.

He exhibited in prominent Parisian galleries such as Berthe Weill, Percier, Zborowski, Barreiro, Brouant and Druet, achieving notable public and critical recognition. His work is represented in the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Madrid, the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Déco Casa Lis, the Museo Patio Herreriano in Valladolid, the Petit Palais in Geneva, the Museums of Fine Arts in La Rochelle, Castres and Honfleur, as well as in collections such as Crane Kallman, Zborowski and MAPFRE.