Francesc Torrescassana Sallarés

FRANCESC TORRESCASSANA SALLARÉS (Barcelona, 1845–1918).
“Landscape.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 90 x 123 cm; 107 x 138 cm (frame).
Francesc Torrescassana studied at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, where he was a student of Ramón Martí Alsina. In 1864, he was awarded an honorable mention at the National Exhibition in Madrid. After receiving a scholarship to study in Rome, he traveled to Paris, where he became acquainted with the major artistic movements of the time. Upon his return to Barcelona, he devoted himself to painting history scenes and genre paintings. In 1869, he attended the opening of the Suez Canal, where he produced several documentary-style paintings. Initially, his work reflected a profound influence from his teacher, within the framework of bourgeois realism. However, he gradually distanced himself from Martí Alsina’s style, developing a softer, more delicate palette. During the last twenty years of his life, he devoted himself to landscape painting, characterized by exceptional luminosity and transparency and built upon textures, revealing parallels with Impressionism. During these years, he also painted portraits, a genre in which his portrait of Miquel Vilaregut (1911) stands out in particular. It was during this period that his artistic personality and creative vitality were firmly established. In 1934, a solo exhibition of his work was held at the Syra Galleries in Barcelona. His works are held in the MACBA in Barcelona, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid, the Museum of the Abbey of Montserrat, and the Louvre in Paris, as well as at Antonio Gaudí’s Casa Vicens in Barcelona.