Menchu Gal

MENCHU GAL (Irún, Guipúzcoa, 1919 – San Sebastián, 2008).
“Puerto,” Northern Etchings Series.
Etching and aquatint on paper. Print no. 64/150.
Signed, inscribed in pencil.
Measurements: 36 x 47 cm; 46 x 56.5 cm (paper).
Part of the renowned “Aguafuertes del Norte” series, “Puerto” is a work that masterfully synthesizes the personal vision Menchu Gal developed regarding the landscapes and seascapes of the Basque Country. Through this print, the artist translates into the language of printmaking the same expressive freedom and chromatic sensitivity that characterize her paintings, transforming an everyday motif into a deeply evocative image. The composition reveals Gal’s interest in capturing the atmosphere of the port rather than providing a precise description of it. The forms appear simplified and structured through spontaneous, dynamic linework, while the balance between lines and planes of color creates a scene of great visual harmony. As is typical in her work, light plays a fundamental role, articulating the space and endowing the whole with a characteristic vibrancy.
Menchu Gal was a leading figure in the renewal of postwar Spanish landscape painting and was associated with the so-called Madrid School. Initially trained by Gaspar Montes Iturrioz, she furthered her studies in Paris with Amédée Ozenfant and at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts. In 1959, she became the first woman to win the National Prize for Painting. Her work is included in the collections of the Reina Sofía National Art Museum and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.