Jordi Alumà

JORDI ALUMÀ (Barcelona, 1924 – El Masnou, Barcelona, 2021).
“Female Face,” 1968.
Mixed media on paper.
Signed and dated “Nadal 1968” in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 48 x 31 cm; 58 x 40 cm (frame).

This drawing belongs to a period in which Jordi Alumà’s figurative style was taking shape, characterized by the stylization of the human figure and a growing freedom in the use of color. The female face is rendered with remarkable economy of means: broad areas of transparency and light strokes coexist with more intense accents of red, turquoise, and yellow, concentrated primarily in the hair.

Watercolor allows the artist to use the white of the paper as an active part of the composition. The barely hinted-at features, especially the gaze, are hallmarks of the chromatic energy in the upper section, while the vertical lines and small accents of ink introduce rhythm and spontaneity. This synthesis of drawing and color is characteristic of the more lyrical aspect of Alumà’s work on paper.

Jordi Alumà had an extensive career as a painter, draftsman, and muralist, always keeping the human figure as one of the central themes of his work. He exhibited regularly at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, and in the years leading up to the creation of this watercolor, his career was enjoying a period of notable recognition: in 1967, he won the Sports Biennial Prize in Fine Arts. He later received, among other honors, the San Jorge Prize from the Barcelona Provincial Council (1956), the City of Barcelona Prize (1978), the Ynglada Guillot Prize (1980), and the Creu de Sant Jordi (2000).