Anglada Camarasa

ANGLADA CAMARASA (Barcelona, 1871 - Pollença, Mallorca, 1959).
"Alone in the box", 1911.
Oil on board.
Attached certificate issued by Mr. F. Fontbona and F. Miralles dated February 24, 1998, no. 403.
Work exhibited in:
-Barcelona, La Pinoteca, H. Anglada Camarasa, June 1952, as Project for a portrait.
Work reproduced in:
- Francesc Fontbona and Francesc Miralles, Anglada-Camarasa, Barcelona, 1981, p. 298, illustrated and cataloged, no. G12 (entitled "Proyecto para un retrato" and dated 1949-52).
Features informative etoiquets on verso.
Signed 'H. Anglada Camarasa' at lower right. Signed, located in Paris and dated on the back.
Measurements: 32 x 34 cm; 60 x 62 cm (frame).
Provenance:
Mir Amorós, Barcelona (circa 1981).
Manel Mayoral Gallery, Barcelona.
Acquired from the previous one by a private collector in 1997.
Sotheby's London, "19th century European paintings," May 21, 2015. Lot 26.
Christie's London, United Kingdom, July 15, 2021. Lot 113.
Christie's London, "British and European art," 30 Jun - 15 Jul 2022, online 21037. Lot 8.
In Alone in the Box, Camarasa invites us to contemplate a scene full of mystery and poetry, where the female figure emerges wrapped in an atmosphere of introspection and elegance. Painted in 1911, this work is a delicate balance between light and color, which sensitively captures the emotional depth of its protagonist, transporting us to the sophisticated and vibrant Spain of the Belle Époque. The work reflects the artist's mastery in combining an intimate portrait full of mystery with a powerful chromatic and compositional charge that captures the viewer's gaze from the very first moment.
From a stylistic perspective, the piece shows clear parallels with his famous painting The Sibyl (1913). Both paintings share a composition where the background is presented as a flat and vibrant surface that envelops and enhances the figure, generating a timeless and contemplative space. In both pieces, the treatment of the skin of the female figure stands out for its pearly luminosity and delicate tonal transitions, reflecting the influence of European symbolism and modernism of the time. However, in this 1911 work, the dress acquires a lighter and brighter palette, which introduces an air of serenity and freshness, contrasting with the darker and denser tones of The Sibyl.
Made in the midst of the modernist effervescence, a period in which experimentation with color and form sought to break with traditional academic models, this work evidences Camarasa's ability to create intimate atmospheres through chromatic harmony and compositional balance.
Anglada Camarasa was one of the key figures of modern Catalan art and the most internationally renowned Spanish post-impressionist painter. Trained in Barcelona and established in Paris since 1894, he assimilated influences of Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Fauvism and Orientalism, developing a personal style of exuberant color and great ornamental richness.
Paris was the scene of his international consecration, where his work was compared to that of artists such as Klimt and Zorn and influenced figures such as Kandinsky. He actively participated in the main European and American art circuits, winning important awards, including the Gold Medal at the Venice Biennale in 1907. From 1914 he settled in Pollença, where he dedicated himself to landscape painting without abandoning his international presence.