Julio Vila i Prades

JULIO VILA I PRADES (Valencia, 1873 - Barcelona, 1930).
"The Spring".
Oil on canvas. Reinforced with bands.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 101 x 31,5 cm.

As we see in this allegory of spring, the painting of Julio Vila i Prades is characterized by a realistic style of solid academic training, with a clear influence of Valencian luminism and especially of Joaquín Sorolla, visible in its bright and natural treatment of light and color. The work in tender is distinguished by its classical character, representing a young woman in robes accompanying a child with bouquets of flowers in her hands. The work in tender is distinguished by its classical character, depicting a young woman in a toga accompanying a child holding bouquets of flowers in her hands. The fluted columns, decorated with garlands, suggest that the scene is set in an interior cortile typical of a building of classical antiquity.

Julio Vila Prades studied at the School of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia, where his teachers were Joaquín Agrasot, Juan Peyró and Francisco Domingo Marqués. After finishing his studies he moved to Madrid, where he attended Joaquín Sorolla's studio between 1893 and 1904. He regularly attended the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts in the capital, obtaining honorable mention in 1892 and 1897, and second medal in 1904. Son-in-law of José Artal, the great promoter of Spanish painting in Buenos Aires, in 1904 he made a trip to Argentina. From there he visited several Latin American countries, where he received commissions for decorative painting such as the ceilings for the Tigery Club in Buenos Aires, the Government Palace in Tucumán or the Mar de Plata Club. During these years he also painted numerous portraits of personalities of the time. On his return to Spain, in 1921, he decorated the ceiling of the Gran Kursaal in San Sebastian. He also worked as an illustrator and poster designer, with outstanding works for Anís Fígaro, the July Fair in Valencia (1900 and 1906). Julio Vila Prades is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the Fine Arts Museum of Huelva, the National Fine Arts Museums of Buenos Aires and Havana, the Municipal de Arte Tigre in Buenos Aires, the Historical and Military Museum of Chile, the City Hall of Valencia and the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian, among others.