Carlos Nadal

CARLOS NADAL FARRERAS (Paris, 1917 – Sitges, 1998).
"Cityscape with River, France," 1974.
Oil on panel.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 50 x 80 cm; 76 x 105 cm (frame).

This urban landscape powerfully embodies the Fauvist style that defined Carlos Nadal’s mature period, characterized by an exaltation of color and a deliberately free interpretation of perspective. The riverbank traces a broad curve that cuts across the composition and draws the eye toward an architectural ensemble dominated by bell towers, while the small boat and the French flags introduce concrete references within a strongly subjective vision of the place.

The spatial construction is subordinated to the dynamism of the painting: the buildings lean and overlap, the dark contours reinforce their profiles, and the reds, yellows, greens, and blues achieve an almost autonomous intensity. The sky takes on a special prominence, rendered with broad, circular, sweeping brushstrokes that convey movement throughout the entire scene. The urban landscape was one of Nadal’s recurring subjects, along with seascapes, interiors, and leisure scenes, and it allowed him to transform cities and familiar places through a deeply personal and chromatic perspective.

The date 1974 places the work at a significant moment in his career, when Nadal was nearing the end of his long period of residence in Brussels, before settling permanently in Spain in the mid-1970s. France and Belgium proved decisive in the consolidation of his artistic language, which the artist himself linked to a sensibility for color distinct from Mediterranean luminosity.

Carlos Nadal trained in Barcelona and subsequently developed a broad international career, particularly linked to Belgium, where he resided from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. His painting, rooted in Post-Impressionism and marked by a strong affinity for Fauvism, made color its primary means of expression. Among his honors are the Grand Prix de Spa and his appointment as an honorary member of the Royal Academy of London. His work is represented in collections such as the MACBA in Barcelona and various Belgian institutions.