Ferran Callicó

FERRAN CALLICÓ I BOTELLA (Barcelona, 1902–Néronde, France, 1968).
"Maison à Vaucresson," 1949.
Oil on cardboard.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 24 x 19 cm; 31.5 x 26 cm (frame).

Ferran Callicó transforms a view of Vaucresson into an image of intense chromatic vibrancy. Rather than depicting a specific house, the work seems to emerge from the luminous memory of the place: a small structure is barely hinted at amid masses of vegetation, while the sky opens up into a central clarity built with whites, pale blues, and very subtle pinks.

The painting stands out for its loose, impasto texture, applied with a nervous, almost tactile brushstroke. The greens, yellows, blues, and reddish touches intertwine in the vegetation, creating a sense of an expanding garden, of nature set in motion by light. The composition retains something of a direct sketch, yet also reveals a clear poetic intent: the landscape is organized not by line, but by the breath of color and the energy of the brushstroke.

Ferran Callicó i Botella was a painter, draftsman, and portraitist active in both Catalonia and France. His body of work includes portraits, landscapes, and works on paper, with a particular focus on capturing light and the expressive use of color. He is associated with archival collections such as that of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, which holds documentation related to the painter’s archive, as well as other collections related to 20th-century Catalan art.