Ramon Martí Alsina

RAMON MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826–1894).
"Wooded Landscape."
Oil on canvas.
Signed with the monogram “R.M.” in the lower right corner.
Restored.
Measurements: 42 × 54.5 cm; 54.5 × 67 cm (frame).

The freedom of execution and the direct depiction of nature place this landscape at the heart of Ramon Martí Alsina’s contribution to the renewal of 19th-century Catalan painting. The composition is dominated by a powerful mass of trees, rendered with energetic, impasto brushstrokes, which opens up toward a brighter background where small figures and a mountainous landscape appear. The hallmarks of density in greens, earth tones, and ochres in the foreground, combined with the clarity of the sky, accentuate the depth and atmospheric quality. The painterly texture takes on particular prominence in the tree trunks and foliage, rendered with a spontaneity reminiscent of life-from-nature studies.

Ramon Martí Alsina trained at the Escola de Llotja, where he later taught, and was a key figure in the introduction of realism and the renewal of landscape painting in Catalonia. His familiarity with Courbet and French painting fostered an approach based on direct observation and painting from life, exerting a significant influence on subsequent generations of Catalan landscape painters. His extensive body of work is represented in institutions such as the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, and the Museu de l’Empordà.