Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa

HERMENEGILDO ANGLADA CAMARASA (Barcelona, 1871 – Port de Pollença, 1959)
“Lady with a Feathered Hat,” 1905.
Lithograph on paper.
Signed and dated in pencil in the lower right corner.
The paper shows slight signs of wear along the margins.

Created during Anglada Camarasa’s Parisian period, this lithograph features one of the most characteristic motifs of his early 20th-century work: a cosmopolitan-looking female figure wearing a large feathered hat and associated with the glamorous atmosphere of Parisian nightlife. The pronounced foreground, the reclining posture, and the gaze directed toward the viewer create an image of marked psychological intensity, far removed from the conventional portrait.

The lithograph allows us to appreciate how Anglada translated some of the essential elements of his Parisian painting into the language of printmaking. The broad dark mass of the hat and dress envelops the face, arm, and feathers, which are defined through tonal variations, overlapping lines, and barely sketched areas. The contrast between blacks and luminous surfaces evokes the artificial lighting of cafés, theaters, and salons, while the freedom of the line preserves the immediacy of the drawing.

The Biblioteca de Catalunya houses a significant collection of the artist’s lithographs, notable for the recurring presence of women wearing large feathered hats—an emblematic motif of Anglada’s Parisian period.

After training in Barcelona, Anglada Camarasa settled in Paris in 1894, where he developed a personal artistic language linked to Symbolism and fin-de-siècle modernity. During this period, he achieved international recognition thanks to his nocturnal scenes and his depictions of women, characterized by stylization, a strong sense of line, and a sophisticated conception of light. In 1914, he settled in Pollença, gradually shifting the focus of his painting toward Mediterranean landscapes. His work is represented in institutions such as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Museo Nacional del Prado.