Josep Maria Tamburini

JOSEP MARÍA TAMBURINI DALMAU (Barcelona, 1856 - 1932).
"The science of life".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Work published in the illustrated edition of Las Doloras by Ramón de Campoamor, published in Barcelona by the publishing house Montaner y Simón in 1903.
Measurements: 50 x 36 cm; 61 x 46,5 cm (frame).

The work is inscribed in the Symbolist side of Catalan modernism, where Tamburini developed a language with a strong poetic charge. The scene, of orientalist inspiration, transcends the narrative to enter into an evocative atmosphere: the figure of the old man acts as a mediator in front of the ethereal appearance of the young women, treated with almost immaterial delicacy. The loose brushstroke and the nuanced palette dilute the contours and reinforce the dreamlike character of the composition, in tune with the artist's pre-Raphaelite and symbolist influences, where the exotic becomes a vehicle for an intimate and spiritual reading.

Josep Maria Tamburini was an outstanding painter and art critic of Catalan modernism. He began his career in history painting and anecdotal realism, evolving towards a symbolist language influenced by Pre-Raphaelism. He achieved recognition in 1888 with a medal at the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona and won other awards in 1898 and 1911. He was a professor at La Lonja, a member of the Board of Museums of Barcelona and co-founder of the Artistic and Literary Society of Catalonia. His work is preserved in institutions such as the MNAC.