Rafael Durancamps

RAFAEL DURANCAMPS (Sabadell, 1891 - Barcelona, 1979).
"Capea".
Oil on board.
Signed in the lower right corner.
With label of the Sala Parés on the back.
Measurements: 53 x 80 cm; 80 x 107 cm (frame).

The bullfighting theme, linked to the popular celebrations and to the rural tradition, appears here reinterpreted by the artist from a contemporary look, in which the landscape and the architecture of the town acquire an almost scenographic protagonism. The work thus synthesizes Durancamps' interest in everyday life and popular character, approached with a sensibility close to the renovating currents of Catalan painting in the first half of the 20th century.

Durancamps trained with Vila Cinca at the Industrial School of Arts and Crafts in Sabadell and maintained a close relationship with Joaquín Mir, whose influence can be perceived in the coloring of his first period. He made his debut in 1917 in the Layetanas Galleries in Barcelona and later studied the masters of the Prado Museum and traveled to Italy.

In 1921 he moved to Paris, where he lived for several years and exhibited at the Zak Gallery, encouraged by Picasso. After returning to Spain he settled in San Sebastian, maintaining a constant collaboration with the Sala Parés in Barcelona. He also exhibited in Madrid, Sabadell, Bilbao, Valencia, London and Philadelphia.

His work is preserved in museums in Barcelona, Madrid, San Sebastian and Buenos Aires, among other collections.