Enric Clarasó

ENRIC CLARASÓ I DAUDÍ (Sant Feliu del Racó, 1857 – Barcelona, 1941).
“Ventada,” c. 1930.
Marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 60 x 16 x 30 cm.

Enric Clarasó was one of the leading figures in Catalan sculpture during the Modernisme period and the early decades of the 20th century. His work evolved from Modernist approaches toward a more refined and symbolic language, in which subtle spirituality and emotional resonance take center stage. “Ventada” reflects this stylistic maturity: a serene, intimate aesthetic, stripped of ornamental excesses yet imbued with lyricism. The piece fits fully within the allegorical tradition of the period, in which the arts were humanized through female figures imbued with sensitivity and expressive nobility.

Clarasó trained at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where he was a student of Joan Roig. In the early 1980s, he met Santiago Rusiñol and Ramón Casas, with whom he would repeatedly exhibit at the Parés Gallery. By the mid-1980s, his studio had become a gathering place for artists, as well as the early nucleus of El Cau Ferrat. At this time, Clarasó was devoting himself to creating clay figurines, portraits, and funerary images. He worked on the decorations for the 1888 Barcelona World’s Fair, and with the earnings from this job, he moved to Paris with Rusiñol. He made a second trip two years later and joined the group formed by Casas, Rusiñol, Utrillo, and Ramón Canudes. His work began with anecdotal naturalism, as seen in pieces such as his “Blacksmith,” and later evolved toward Modernism following his stays in Paris. In 1892, he participated in the National Exhibition in Madrid, as well as in the World’s Fairs in Barcelona (1888), Chicago (1893), and Paris (1900), winning the gold medal at the latter for his funerary work “Memento Homo.” Among his works, the monument to King James I the Conqueror in Palma de Mallorca stands out. Works by Clarasó are preserved at MACBA, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, and the Cau Ferrat Museum in Sitges.