Ramón Martí Alsina

RAMÓN MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826–1894).
Portrait of a Woman.
Oil on panel.
Signed in the lower right corner.
With a Barrachina & Ramoneda label on the back.
Measurements: 44 x 36 cm; 66 x 58 cm (frame).
Considered today to be the most important figure in Spanish Realism, Martí Alsina was part of the European avant-garde of his time. He revolutionized the Spanish art scene of the 19th century, pioneered life drawing, and founded the modern Catalan school, as well as serving as a mentor to an entire generation, with notable disciples such as Vayreda, Urgell, and Torrescassana. He began his studies in philosophy, alternating them with evening classes at the School of Fine Arts at the Lonja in Barcelona. He took his first steps as a painter in the Maresme region, where he was already going out to paint from life. In 1848, he traveled to Paris, where he visited the Louvre and became familiar with the work of Horace Vernet and Eugène Delacroix. Later, he would discover the work of Gustave Courbet, the greatest exponent of realism. Beginning in 1850, his artistic career took hold, and four years later he was appointed professor of drawing at the School of the Lonja. His first major exhibition was the 1851 General Exhibition of Fine Arts in Barcelona. From that point on, he exhibited regularly in Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris, and was invited to the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. Among his awards, the medals he won at the National Exhibitions in Madrid stand out: third prize in 1858 and second prize in 1860. In his later years, he lived in seclusion, focusing his efforts on the search for new forms of expression, with a loose brushstroke reminiscent of Impressionism.
His subjects include numerous landscapes and seascapes, cityscapes (especially of Barcelona), portraits and human figures, genre scenes, expressive female nudes, history paintings, and biblical scenes. He rarely turned to still life, though he did paint a few. In this portrait of a young woman draped in a simple shawl, he approaches both genre painting and portraiture.
Works by Martí Alsina are held in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Abbey of Montserrat, the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, and the Empordà Museum in Figueras.