Simon Gomez

SIMÓN GÓMEZ POLO (Barcelona, 1845 - 1880).
"Female portrait.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 36 x 28.5 cm; 43.5 x 37 cm (frame).

In this work converge the study of the natural, base of this academic exercise, and a language of clear baroque inheritance, of impastoed brushstroke, contained and enormously nuanced palette, enriched in addition by an almost tenebrist treatment of the light, rich in hallmarks.

Simón Gómez Polo was an outstanding painter of the 19th century, trained in Barcelona, Paris and Madrid. In 1869 he settled permanently in Barcelona, where he painted religious themes (murals in the churches of El Pino and San Agustín), genre paintings ("Yo también fui soldado", 1871; "Las cartas", 1872) and portraits. He is considered the introducer of neo-realism in Barcelona. His work is preserved in the Abbey of Montserrat and the MACBA.