Joaquín Sunyer

JOAQUIM SUNYER DE MIRÓ (Sitges, Barcelona, 1874 - 1956).
"Female portrait", 1934.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 46 x 38 cm.; 63,5 × 56 cm. with frame.

Joaquim Sunyer approaches the infantile image from a serene, frontal and deeply intimate look. The girl appears represented with great compositional simplicity, on a neutral and luminous background that concentrates all the attention on the face. The direct gaze, the restrained gesture and the delicacy of the modeling transmit a sensation of recollection and silent presence.

The work stands out for its chromatic softness and for the balance between formal synthesis and psychological sensitivity. The light blues of the dress, the white of the neck and the pearly tones of the face form a gentle and restrained palette, characteristic of the mature Sunyer.

Joaquim Sunyer was trained at the Escuela de La Lonja in Barcelona. After a first stage influenced by post-impressionism, his return to Sitges in 1910 marked the consolidation of a Mediterranean, serene and essential language, which placed him as one of the leading representatives of Catalan Noucentisme. His career was widely recognized, with distinctions such as the Legion of Honor and the grand prize for his work as a whole at the 1954 Havana Hispano-American Biennial. He is represented in institutions such as the MACBA, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.