Mariano Obiols Delgado

MARIANO OBIOLS DELGADO (Barcelona, 1860- 1911).
"Pilgrimage", 1898.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 30 x 50 cm; 46 x 67 cm (frame).
In this work we see an image treated through a pictorialist point of view, which seeks not so much the anecdotal description as the visual impression, the capture of the atmosphere, the bustling life and the light of a specific and unrepeatable moment. A disciple of Martí Alsina at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, around 1885 he made his first trip to Paris, where he stayed for some time. Two years later he made the poster "Japanese Fantasy" for the Universal Exposition of Barcelona, celebrated in 1888. In 1890 he established his residence in Seville, and dedicated himself to painting genre works, as well as collaborating as an illustrator with several magazines. After making a new trip to Paris, Obiols settled back in Seville, developing the most important and well-known part of his work, dedicated fundamentally to Andalusian genre scenes, in a loose and spontaneous style, in which his facility for drawing and illustration is evident.
Obiols reflects in his oil paintings the charm of the anecdotal, the beauty hidden in what is close, in what is known. As a result of his full mastery of drawing and his impeccable workmanship, his images are vivid and truthful, marked by great atmospheric naturalism and enriched by the agile play of colors, lights and shadows. His works reflect the joy of living, the simple beauty of the traditional, through a lively and colorful language, very bright. In his palette, the masterful truth is intertwined with metaphor. The painter truthfully reflects the scenes and their settings, paying special attention to the anecdotal motifs, with which he establishes a true dialogue. Obiols looks for the curious figure, the whimsical element of the decoration, the human story that has a special attraction, the vainglory of living at ease and immersed in the customs of the time. This can be seen in this work, where the gallant conversation between a horseman and a young woman carrying a large pitcher (probably destined for some of the booths of the April fair) centers the scene. This takes place, moreover, under the bright Andalusian sky.