Manuel Pigem

MANUEL PIGEM RAS (Banyoles, Girona, 1861 - 1946).
"Lake of Banyoles.
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 50 x 65 cm; 62 x 79 cm (frame).

Pigem focused his subject matter on Lake Bañolas and its surroundings, landscapes that he worked in an impressionistic way. In his works, the main thing is the naturalistic rendering of the multiple variants of the landscape, focusing on the rendering of light and chromatic changes.

True to himself, he offers here a luminous and peaceful vision of the lake landscape, focusing on the atmospheric effects and the vibration of light on the water. The composition is articulated in broad horizontal strips - the moor, the mirror of water and the hills in the background - that reinforce the sensation of calm and depth. The loose and delicate brushwork, together with a clear palette of blues, greens and pinks, creates subtle reflections and an almost enveloping atmosphere.

A painter influenced by the landscape school of Olot, Manuel Pigem studied in Barcelona, at the Escuela de La Lonja, where he was a disciple of Ramón Martí Alsina. He exhibited individually in Barcelona, and participated in several group exhibitions. After his stay in Paris, the artist entered the world of photography, focusing mainly on group portraits, with members of his own family or crowds gathered at religious and civil festivals, without forgetting his predilection for the landscape and the typical corners of Banyoles, dominated by the lake. Manuel Pigem is currently represented in the Art Museum of Girona, as well as in numerous private collections.