Joan Josep Tharrats

JOAN JOSEP THARRATS (Girona, 1918 – Barcelona, 2001).
“Aries,” 1988.
Color lithograph and silkscreen print on paper, edition 206/299.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Measurements: 59 x 50 cm.

Created in 1988, Aries is part of the zodiac series developed by Tharrats during his mature period. The figure of the ram is reduced to a linear profile with almost archaeological overtones, while the large zodiac sign and the black and magenta circles are integrated into a surface of great graphic density. The composition thus combines figuration, symbolism, and abstraction—three common elements in the artist’s vocabulary.

The combination of lithography and silkscreen printing allows for the juxtaposition of textured backgrounds with flat, well-defined forms. The reddish and purplish tones create an intense atmosphere against which the black and gold stand out, reinforcing the motif’s emblematic character. The work’s inclusion in the Zodiac series and its limited edition of 299 copies are documented on other copies of this same composition.

A key figure in the postwar Catalan artistic renewal, Joan Josep Tharrats was one of the founders of Dau al Set. Printmaking occupied a prominent place in his body of work and was one of the fields in which he most freely developed his technical explorations and symbolic imagery. His work is featured in various museums and collections around the world, including MoMA and the Guggenheim in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the MACBA, and the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.