Joaquim Mir

JOAQUIM MIR TRINXET (Barcelona, 1873 - 1940).
"Almond tree in flower in front of the beach of Vilanova".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements. 27x 46 cm; 43 x 62 cm (frame).

This painting by Joaquim Mir Trinxet is a symphony of color and light that captures the emotional vibration of the landscape with unusual sensitivity. In the foreground, a majestic almond blossom stands nobly, seeming to infect the sky with its shades of pale pink. Around it, other younger almond trees, scattered over a meadow bursting with shades of emerald green, ochre and golden yellow. The sea, a serene strip of cerulean blue on the horizon, subtly delimits the background of the painting, giving balance to the composition. In the distance, two human figures (barely insinuated with the freedom of a loose and confident brushstroke): a man in black and a girl dressed in white, with red flashes that could be a bow in her hair and a small bag. With his agile, firm and intuitive brushstroke, Mir Trinxet summons the changing light of the Mediterranean.

Joaquim Mir Trinxet is considered one of the greatest exponents of Spanish post-impressionist landscape painting and one of the most outstanding figures of Catalan art at the beginning of the 20th century. His training at the San Jordi School of Fine Arts and his link with the Colla del Safrà (a group of Catalan artists who experimented with color and light) marked the beginning of an innovative career. At the end of the 19th century, his time in Madrid and his close relationship with Barcelona's modernism, through circles such as Els Quatre Gats, consolidated his artistic language, although his true transformation came with his stay in Mallorca, where he discovered a landscape that would forever change his way of painting. His work was recognized with numerous awards, including the First Medal at the International Exhibition of Fine Arts in Barcelona (1907), the National Prize of Fine Arts (1917) and the Medal of Honor at the National Exhibition in Madrid (1930), a prize he had been pursuing for years. Although he focused his production in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, his work transcended borders, being exhibited in cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Washington, New York and Buenos Aires. Today, his legacy can be found in some of the most prestigious collections in Spain and the world, with works in the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña (MNAC), the Museo del Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Reina Sofía, among others. His ability to transform landscape into a sensory experience makes him an essential figure in modern Spanish painting.