Ricard Martí Aguiló

RICARD MARTÍ AGUILÓ (Barcelona, 1857–1935).
"Woman with Child."
Oil on canvas.
Signed “R. Martí” in the lower right corner.
In good overall condition. It shows some cracking and isolated areas where the paint layer is missing, mainly along the edges and in the lower section.
Measurements: 42 × 28 cm; 50.5 × 37 cm (frame).

The attention paid to the figure and the effects of light places this work among Ricard Martí Aguiló’s most delicate genre compositions. A young woman holds a child in her arms inside a garden, while a second child, leaning on the railing, introduces a narrative counterpoint. The scene opens up in the background to a luminous Mediterranean landscape, thus linking two essential aspects of the artist’s work: the figure and the landscape.

The woman’s light-colored clothing concentrates the light and stands out against the vegetation, rendered with a freer brushstroke rich in small chromatic accents. In contrast to the greater precision reserved for the faces and hands, flowers, trees, and architectural elements are rendered with a looser style, striking a balance between naturalistic observation and atmospheric sensitivity.

Ricard Martí Aguiló was the son and disciple of Ramon Martí Alsina and was also trained at the Escola de Llotja in Barcelona. He developed a realist body of work that included landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still lifes, and figure paintings. In 1891, he participated in the General Exhibition of Fine Arts in Barcelona, and that same year he painted the Portrait of Narcís Monturiol, which is currently part of the Gallery of Illustrious Catalans at the Barcelona History Museum. His painting remained closely tied to his father’s realism, though he developed a sensibility of his own that is particularly evident in his portraits and intimate scenes.