Luis Quintanilla

LUIS QUINTANILLA ISASI (Santander, 1893 – Madrid, 1978).
“Rear Guard 1.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner. Titled on the reverse.
Measurements: 74 x 59 cm; 80 x 73 cm (frame).

The title *Retaguardia* situates the scene within one of the least depicted yet most human aspects of the Spanish Civil War: the lives of those who remained far from the front lines—especially women, children, and the elderly—who endured the daily consequences of the conflict. Rather than depicting the direct violence of war, the work conveys its emotional and social effects through a deeply intimate composition. The young woman occupies the foreground with a silent and melancholic demeanor. Her downcast gaze and slightly hunched posture suggest worry, uncertainty, and anticipation—feelings common among those who remained in the rear, awaiting news of the combatants. Behind her appears another female figure carrying a basket of laundry, an allusion to domestic chores and the responsibility that many women assumed during the war, keeping the household running while the men were mobilized.

A multidisciplinary artist and writer, Luis Quintanilla was one of the most prominent Cantabrian artists of the 20th century. He trained in Paris, where he settled in 1912 and came into contact with numerous artists and intellectuals, including Juan Gris. After the Great War, he traveled to Germany, where he was introduced to Expressionism. He then returned to Spain and immersed himself in the cultural scene of the time, while also traveling throughout the country sketching scenes of everyday life. In 1920, he returned to Paris and from there traveled once again to Berlin. Interested in the fresco technique, he obtained a scholarship to travel to Italy in 1924, and upon his return a year later, he began accepting commissions such as the frescoes for the Buenos Aires National Pavilion and the one executed in 1931 for the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid. In 1934, he held a major exhibition at the National Library, although he was imprisoned that same year for political reasons. A fervent republican, he fought in the Civil War and continued to work, eventually exhibiting his works from the conflict at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1937. After the war, he went into exile in the United States, where he continued his career and received major accolades. In 1958, he returned to Europe and settled in Paris, eventually returning to Spain in 1976, following Franco’s death. His work is currently represented in the Reina Sofía National Art Museum, among other prominent public and private collections.