Dionís Baixeras

DIONÍS BAIXERAS VERDAGUER (Barcelona, 1862 - 1943).
"The 12 commandments".
Mixed media on paper.
Original drawing for the stickers, books and posters of "Enseñanza del Catecismo".
Signed in the central right margin.
Measurements: 96 x 60 cm; 110 x 81 cm (frame).

The Casa Editorial de Arte Católico founded by José Vilamala Galobardes (1876-1959) -which during the Republican period successively adapted its name to Editorial José Vilamala, Editorial J. Vilamala and Editorial Vilamala- maintained from its beginnings a close link with the diffusion of the Catholic ideology through the image and visual pedagogy. As early as 1911, he began the publication of a series of 65 large-format (103 × 73 cm) polychrome plates, mounted on canvas with tin rods and rings for hanging, intended for teaching catechism. The project, promoted by the Association of Ecclesiastics for the Popular Apostolate and recommended by the bishop of Barcelona, culminated in 1913 with the publication of El catecismo mayor en imágenes. Lecciones del catecismo, with texts by Salvador Rial, parish priest of El Bruc, considered one of the most outstanding experiences of the so-called "intuitive pedagogy".

The publishing house had different headquarters in Barcelona throughout its trajectory: in 1913 it was located in Rambla de Cataluña nº 98 bis; during the 1920s it moved to Provenza street nº 266; and from the beginning of the 1930s it was installed in Valencia street nº 246, where it remained active until 1978).