Joan Cardona

JOAN CARDONA I LLADÓS (Barcelona, 1877–1957).
"Bourgeois Lady."
Mixed media on paper.
Signed.
Measurements: 43 x 29 cm; 63.5 x 49 cm (frame).

This work is an excellent example of the unmistakable visual language of Joan Cardona, one of the great portraitists of Parisian life, with its elegant boulevards, carriages, and scenes of high society. A key figure in the aesthetics of the Belle Époque, Cardona played a decisive role in defining the image of the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan Paris of the late 19th century. His artistic style achieved such recognition that critics coined the term “Cardona style” to refer to the uniqueness and refinement of his work. Between 1900, the year he settled in Paris, and 1914, when the outbreak of World War I forced him to return to Barcelona, he was one of the most prestigious and admired illustrators in the French capital.Trained at the School of Fine Arts of La Lonja and the Baixeras Academy in Barcelona, he furthered his studies in Paris, where he would settle for several years. In the French capital, he formed a circle with the finest illustrators of the time, such as Cappiello, Sem, Steinlen, and Roubille. A painter and draftsman, he was highly active in the field of illustration, contributing to Spanish magazines such as “El Gato Negro” and “Hispania,” as well as the French publications “Le Rire” and “Simplicissimus.” Of particular note is his collaboration with “Jugend,” the flagship magazine of Viennese modernism, the Jugendstil. During his time in Paris, Cardona achieved international fame thanks to his pen-and-ink drawings, characterized by their sharp lines and strong expressive qualities. In contrast, in his paintings he subordinates line to color, using warm tones in his early years and cool palettes in his mature period. His paintings, with their great expressive power and dense impasto, highlight the prominence of women, who stand out against vibrant, almost abstract backgrounds, in a style that brings him close to Anglada Camarasa. In 1897, he was awarded a prize in the competition organized by the Mariana Academy of Lleida. He exhibited in Paris at the Salons d’Automne and the Société Nationale, earning the title of “societaire” at both. He participated in the International Fine Arts Exhibitions in Barcelona in 1907 and 1929. His work is represented in the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris.