Emilio Grau Sala

EMILIO GRAU SALA (Barcelona, 1911 - Paris, 1975).
"Young man serving wine".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 72 x 60 cm; 92 x 77 cm (frame).

This painting by Grau Sala shows an intimate scene of interior, starring a female figure serving wine on a table arranged with glasses, fruit and flowers. The composition combines still life and human figure, a very characteristic resource of the artist, who integrates both genres with naturalness and balance.

The brushstroke is loose, vibrant and nuanced, with a warm palette dominated by ochers, greens and yellows, offset by blues and whites that bring light and freshness. The treatment of the face is delicate and expressive, while the objects are resolved with a freer and more gestural language, reinforcing the sensation of everyday life and closeness.

The work is fully inscribed in Grau Sala's post-impressionist and figurative style, influenced by French painting of the first half of the twentieth century. There is a clear affinity with Bonnard and Vuillard in the use of color, as well as with Parisian intimacy, where domestic life becomes a pictorial theme of the first order. The scene conveys serenity, elegance and an optimistic vision of modern life.

Grau Sala was a Spanish painter trained at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. In 1930 he moved to Paris, where he developed most of his career and where he came into contact with international artistic circles. After the Spanish Civil War he settled permanently in France, consolidating a personal language within modern figuration.

Grau Sala's work is part of important public collections, among them: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Barcelona. Museu d'Art Modern de Barcelona, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Madrid. Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.