Josep Clará

JOSEP CLARÀ I AYATS (Olot, Girona, 1878 – Barcelona, 1958).
“The Rhythm,” 1910.
Bronze sculpture.
Signed, with the Bechini foundry mark.
Measurements: 56 x 32 x 34 cm; 64 cm (height including base).
Exhibitions: MEAM “A Century of Catalan Sculpture,” 2013. Reproduced in the catalog, p. 169.

“The Rhythm” is a significant sculpture within Josep Clarà’s body of work. Two women, embraced and wrapped in drapery that blends them together, perform languid dance steps. Their bodies sway to the rhythm of the fabrics, which cover and reveal their torsos, veiling their nudity while simultaneously unveiling it. Clarà’s muses display themselves unashamedly, yet retain an invisible aura of mystery. Their gestures are sensual and yet devoid of the slightest affectation. The curves are restrained, far from excessive voluptuousness, while at the same time evoking classical types of Greek origin.

Josep Clarà began his training at the Olot School of Drawing under Josep Berga i Boix, and later studied sculpture at the School of Fine Arts in Toulouse, France. After completing his studies, he moved to Paris in 1890, where he worked in Louis Barrias’s studio and met Maillol, Bourdelle, and Rodin. In fact, Rodin’s advice helped him overcome the Modernist influences evident in his early works. In 1907, he presented the work “Torment” at the Salon des Artistes Français, a work that reveals a Rodinian influence; in his marble sculpture “Twilight” (1913, Museum of Santiago, Chile)—the plaster model of which he presented at the 1908 Salon of the Société Nationale—this influence gives way to greater clarity and serenity. The following year, he would present what would become the first of his goddesses, a work that ultimately marked the definitive official recognition of his talent. During these years, his friendship with the dancer Isadora Duncan allowed him to create his most original and spontaneous drawings; the dynamism of dance did not contradict his search for stability, and it brought him a serene light and liveliness. A tireless worker, he received various commissions for monuments, such as “Serenity on the Ruins of Life” (San Isidro Cemetery, Madrid) and “Monument to the Catalan Volunteers” (Ciutadella Park, Barcelona). With the model of the latter, he won the grand prize in Paris in 1925. At the end of that same year, he was appointed a member of the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Clarà also created busts and portraits, in which he displayed a concise and lively artistic language: “Will” (1911), “Clara Stuart Merrill” (1926), “Adela” (1936), “Miss Rodríguez Bauzà” (1941). Over time, the sculptor would place increasing importance on light, and his sculptures would become simpler, stripped of all emotion, as seen in his first “Estática,” from 1926. With this new vision, in 1928 he reinterpreted “Diosa” and “Serenidad” (Montjuïc Garden, Barcelona), and created “Reposo” (MACBA), which earned him the Medal of Honor at the Barcelona International Exposition (1929). In 1930, Clarà traveled to Greece; two years later, he left his home in Paris and settled permanently in Barcelona. In 1934, he won the Damià Campeny Prize for “Nude of a Girl.” In 1936, he created one of his finest works, a synthesis of simplicity, light, and serenity: “Vigor.” He is also the creator of the “Monument to the Fallen” (1952) in Barcelona. With the nude “Pomona” (Museum of Havana), he won the Grand Prize at the 1954 Hispano-American Biennial. In 1946, he created a “Saint Benedict” (Montserrat), which led him to focus on the study of the seated figure. Consequently, his later works consisted mainly of seated mothers and reclining figures. In 1969, the museum bearing his name was inaugurated in Barcelona, where a large part of his work is preserved. His works are also on display at the Garrotxa Regional Museum in Olot and at the MNAC.