Francesc Gimeno

FRANCESC GIMENO I ARASA (Tortosa, Tarragona, 1858 - Barcelona, 1927).
"Landscape".
Certified by M.Barrachina.
Signed in the lower margin.
Measurements: 25 x 45 cm; 51 x 70 cm (frame).

The landscape represents a valley of arid appearance, framed by a rocky hillside that rises in the background, dotted with sparse and scattered vegetation. In the foreground, an ochre earth dominates the composition; it is followed by a strip of emerald green, which introduces a vibrant contrast and directs the eye to the drier, stony mountainous area in the background. A winding path crosses the terrain, escaping to the left and adding depth and dynamism to the scene. This compositional line reinforces the sensation of natural movement, inviting the viewer to visually traverse the space.

The sky, far from being a neutral background, picks up the same earthy shades of the ground: ochers, greens and grays merge into a unitary, almost tactile atmosphere that reinforces the sense of continuity between earth and air. The brushstroke is vigorous, thick, synthetic and sketchy, typical of Gimeno's expressive temperament. He does not seek detail or meticulous description, but rather to capture the essence of the landscape through a dense and gestural pictorial matter, where each stroke seems charged with energy. This way of painting, with a strong impressionist and post-impressionist imprint, shows the artist's emotion in front of nature: an immediate, direct vision, without artifice, in which light and matter merge to build a vibrant and sincere image of the Mediterranean landscape.

Painter and draftsman, Francesc Gimeno began his training in Tortosa at the age of fourteen. In 1880 he settled in Barcelona and worked as a painter and decorator. In 1884 he settled in Madrid, where he completed his training with Carlos de Haes and studied the works of the Prado Museum. On his return to Barcelona, in 1889, he suddenly rejected the contracts offered to him, and devoted himself once again to decorative painting. Gimeno remained almost always on the fringes of the commercial art world. During most of his life, away from official circles, he painted what was closest to him, his family and himself, without ever neglecting the landscape. He participated in some exhibitions, winning prizes such as honorary diplomas in the Barcelona exhibition of 1894 and the National Exhibition of Madrid in 1904, but his works were frequently rejected by the juries. Nevertheless, Gimeno also had a small circle of admirers. The critic Romà Jori, the painter Ignasi Mallol and the gallery owner Josep Dalmau organized the painter's first solo exhibition in 1915. The exhibition was a critical success and for the first time his artistic work was recognized. The recognition of Gimeno's work grew in the last years of his life until it culminated in the homage that, at Christmas 1925, was dedicated to him in the Sala Parés. The MACBA dedicated an exhibition to him in 1978, and in 2006 the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña held the first truly anthological exhibition dedicated to his work. Gimeno is represented in the Prado Museum, the MACBA in Barcelona, the Montserrat Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Francisco Godía Foundation and the J. Sala collection, as well as in several important private collections.