Eliseo Meifrèn

ELISEO MEIFRÈN ROIG (Barcelona, 1859 - 1940).
"Cadaqués".
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 53 x 64 cm; 71 x 82,5 cm (frame).
The mythical town of the Empordà was one of Meifrèn's favorite places. Throughout his life he repeated his visits to Cadaqués, and in spite of his successful itinerancies around the world, he never stopped having in mind the peaceful life licked by the Mediterranean. This painting belongs to a period of maturity, in which the mastery of light is remarkable, resulting in successful verdimar glazes, in beautiful contrast with the line of whitewashed houses and the vibrant figures swarming along its margins.
A disciple of Antonio Caba at the La Lonja School in Barcelona, Meifrèn spent some time in Paris after finishing his studies, and there he became acquainted with painting "à plen air". He returned to Barcelona in 1879 and, that same year, he won the gold medal at the Regional Exhibition of Valencia. The following year he made his individual debut at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, where he continued to exhibit regularly from then on. He was one of the discoverers of the pictorial possibilities of Cadaqués, and also used to paint Mallorcan landscapes (he was director of the School of Fine Arts in Palma). He exhibited in Spain, other European countries, the United States and Latin America. Throughout his career he won many awards, among which are the first medals at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid and Barcelona, the Nonell prize, the bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris and the grand prizes at the International Exhibitions of Buenos Aires and San Diego. He is represented in the Prado Museum, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, among many others.