Joaquim Mir

JOAQUIM MIR TRINXET (Barcelona, 1873 - 1940).
"Landscape.
Oil on burlap.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 84 x 50 cm; 97 x 62 cm (frame).

In this vertical format canvas, the composition is structured from the imposing presence of tall pine trees that rise from the base to reach the upper edge of the canvas. Their thin, slender trunks are bathed in the mauve light of the sunset, which also tinges the blue sky and the light clouds that cross it. In the background, the vegetation is folded in smaller scales, until we can glimpse in the background some houses barely hinted at in violet tones, diluted by the atmospheric vibration of the sunset. The brushstroke, free and passionate, together with the bold and luminous palette, reveal Mir's singular gaze, capable of transfiguring the landscape into a sensorial and poetic experience.

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 School of Fine Arts of San Jordi 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.