Ismael Blat i Monzó

ISMAEL BLAT I MONZÓ (Benimámet, 1901–1976).
“Still Life with Cabbages.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 60 x 72 cm, 73 x 85 cm (frame).
Ismael Blat i Monzó specialized in genre scenes, portraits, still lifes, and flowers. His style is notable for the elegance of his subjects. In 1913, he began working at Gregorio Muñoz Dueñas’s ceramics factory in Manises, where he was responsible for designing the tiles. It was there that he established his reputation as a ceramic painter. Two years later, he also began working at Justo Vilar’s ceramics factory. In addition to these jobs, he continued his studies at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts, where he took evening drawing classes and was taught by Isidoro Granelo Fillol and Constantino Gómez Salvador. In 1917, he enrolled at the San Juan de Ribera College and completed his studies. He moved to Madrid and traveled through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, England, and Morocco. He also traveled through Mexico, Venezuela, and Central America, and in 1950 he went to Cuba, where he exhibited his work. In 1954, he exhibited at the Conference Hall of the National Capitol in Havana. In 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power, Ismael Blat decided to return to Benimámet.