Josep de Togores

JOSEP DE TOGORES (Cerdanyola del Vallès, 1893 - Barcelona, 1970)
"Le vieux pauvre".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
With label on the back of the Gaspar Room.
Measurements: 73,5 x 100 cm; 79 x 106 cm (frame).

Scene of strong human charge in which Togores represents the figure of a humble old man asleep, captured in a moment of rest and abandonment. The character appears leaning on his arms, in a closed composition that concentrates the attention on the figure and reinforces the introspective character of the scene.

The work stands out for the volumetric treatment of the forms, resolved by means of a dense and modeled brushstroke. The warm tones build the folds of the clothing and the body of the character, generating an intimate and silent atmosphere that underlines the social and emotional content of the motif.

Josep de Togores was one of the leading figures of 20th century Catalan painting. Trained in Barcelona, he furthered his studies in Paris, where he came into contact with the European avant-garde and with artists such as Picasso, as well as receiving the decisive influence of Cézanne. During the 1920s he worked with the famous art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, which consolidated his international projection.

From the thirties he returned to a figuration of great formal solidity, becoming one of the most sought after portraitists of Catalan society. His work is preserved in important institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (Barcelona), the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid), the Getty Museum (Los Angeles) and the Centre Pompidou (Paris), among others.