Ramon Martí Alsina

RAMON MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826–1894).
"Doves."
Oil on canvas.
Signed “Martí Alsina” in the lower left corner.
In good condition. It shows some cracking and minor alterations in the paint layer consistent with its age.
Measurements: 36.5 × 56 cm; 51 × 71 cm (frame).

The vigor of the brushstrokes and the direct observation of the animals’ movement link this work to the naturalism that Ramon Martí Alsina made the foundation of his painting. Three pigeons take center stage in a scene of intense tension: the dark bird advances with its wings spread toward the other two, whose bodies are intertwined in a defensive posture. The diagonal arrangement of the wings and the contrast between the white and black plumage concentrate all the action in the center of the composition.

The artist renders the birds using abundant paint and rapid brushstrokes—particularly visible in the feathers—while the vegetative background remains in a dark color range that intensifies the luminous effect of the white bodies. Rather than a purely descriptive depiction, Martí Alsina seeks to convey the immediacy of the scene, focusing on the animals’ gestures, movements, and reactions.

Ramon Martí Alsina was a key figure in Spanish Realism and one of the great innovators of 19th-century Catalan painting. Trained at the Escola de la Llotja, where he later served as an instructor and professor, he championed direct observation of nature and exerted a profound influence on artists such as Joaquim Vayreda, Modest Urgell, and Francesc Torrescassana. His trips to Paris allowed him to become acquainted with contemporary French painting and, in particular, the Realism of Gustave Courbet. He won a third-place medal at the 1858 National Fine Arts Exhibition and a second-place medal in 1860 for *Landscape of Catalonia*. His works are held in institutions such as the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.