Pere Pruna

PERE PRUNA OCERANS (Barcelona, 1904 - 1977).
"Lady on black background", 1944.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 130 × 161 cm.; 140.5 × 173 cm. with frame.

Female portrait of great scenic elegance, dominated by the contrast between the luminous figure and the dark depth of the background. The model, reclining on a red velvet chaise longue, appears wrapped in a black dress that accentuates the whiteness of the face, hands and neckline, while the bouquet of flowers introduces a delicate chromatic and symbolic note.

This painting reveals Pruna's characteristic refinement, attentive to line, gesture and the restrained theatricality of the figure. The elongated posture, the elaborate hairstyle, the jewelry and the frontal gaze give the sitter a sophisticated presence, between the mundane portrait and the image of apparent psychological detachment. The dark background, barely defined, concentrates all the attention on the figure and reinforces the intimate and slightly enigmatic atmosphere of the work.

The work dates from a period in which Pruna had consolidated an elegant figurative language, with classical roots and modern sensibility. The work retains echoes of his relationship with the world of ballet, scenography and the cosmopolitan environments of the interwar period, visible in the compositional sense, the studied pose and the almost theatrical treatment of light.

Pere Pruna was an outstanding figure of 20th century Catalan art. He began to exhibit very young. In 1921 he moved to Paris, where he received the support of Picasso and was integrated into the intellectual circles of the city, making a successful exhibition at the Galerie Percier. He also collaborated in the scenographic field, designing sets for the ballet Les matelots by Diaghilev (1925). Throughout his career he won several awards, including second prize at the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh exhibition (1928) and the Nonell Prize (1936).

His work is preserved in the Reina Sofia Museum, the MNAC and the Museum of Montserrat, among other collections.