Joaquim Terruella

JOAQUIM TERRUELLA MATILLA (Barcelona, 1891 - 1957).
"Bullfighting", 1922.
Oil on cardboard.
It presents slight losses of the pictorial layer.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 18 x 24 cm; 40 x 74 cm (frame).
The bullfighting theme occupies a significant place in the work of Joaquim Terruella Matilla (Barcelona, 1891-1957), as it allowed him to explore one of Spain's most deeply rooted cultural traditions from a modern artistic perspective. Through his paintings, Terruella Matilla captured the intensity, movement and drama of bullfighting. The bullfighting theme not only reflects the artist's interest in popular and festive scenes, but also his desire to capture the identity and social environment of his time.
Joaquim Terruella Matilla was the nephew and follower of Segundo Matilla and a disciple of Santiago Rusiñol, with whom he traveled to Italy in 1923 and worked for a time in Aranjuez. Throughout his career he exhibited in various cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Palma, Zaragoza, Bordeaux and Biarritz, highlighting his exhibitions in the Sala Parés and later in the Sala Gaspar. Mainly landscape painter and close to impressionism, he represented with delicacy the Catalan landscape. He also cultivated bullfighting themes, on which he worked as an illustrator for publications such as El Día Gráfico and La Noche, as well as scenes of gypsies and concert cafés. His work is preserved in institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Madrid and the Provincial Museum of Lugo.