Arcadi Mas i Fondevila, or Fontdevila (12 November 1852 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

– 31 January 1934 in

Sitges ; , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, renowned worldwide for Sitges Film Festival, its film festival, Carnival, and LGBTQ culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is know ...

), was a Catalan painter and graphic artist.

Biography

Fondevila-Peasant in Rome-Google Art Project

He was the son of a tailor. His father recognized his artistic talent at an early age and enrolled him at the

Escola de la Llotja The Escola de la Llotja (, "Llotja School"; ), officially the Escola d'Arts i Oficis de Barcelona (Barcelona Arts and Crafts School), is an art and design school located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The school took its name from its initial ...

, where he studied with

Claudi Lorenzale Claudi Lorenzale i Sugrañes (; 8 December 1814 – 31 March 1889) was a Spanish painter, associated with the German Nazarene movement and local efforts to recover the history of the Catalan region. Biography He was born in Barcelona. H ...

and

Antoni Caba Antoni Caba i Casamitjana (1838 – 25 January 1907) was a Spanish painter who worked in the Realistic style and is best known for his portraits. Biography Antoni Caba was born in Barcelona. He attended the Escola de la Llotja during the 185 ...

.Brief biography
@ the

Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana The (English: the ''Great Catalan Encyclopedia'') is a Catalan language, Catalan-language encyclopedia, started in fascicles, and published in 1968 by . The soul of the work was written by Max Cahner, and the first director was Jordi Carbonell. ...

. At the age of twenty, he held his first exhibition at the salon of the "Associació Artística de Barcelona". In 1873, he visited Madrid where he exhibited a painting at a Salon held by the "Real Fábrica de Platería Martinez". It was called "Pel juny la falç al puny" (In June with Sickle in Hand) and was bought the following year by King

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...

.Brief biography
@ the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

In 1875, he was awarded the first Fortuny Scholarship by the "Ayuntamento de Barcelona" (the city government), which enabled him to further his studies in Italy. He spent ten years there, visiting several major art centers and sending works home for display at the

Sala Parés The Sala Parés is the oldest art gallery in Barcelona, Spain. Initially an art store, established in 1840 by Joan Parés, it slowly evolved into a gallery and formally became one in 1877. History Founded by the original store owner's son, , an ...

. During this visit, he was significantly influenced by the work of

Domenico Morelli Domenico Morelli (4 August 182313 August 1901) was an Italians, Italian painter, who mainly produced historical and religious works. Morelli was immensely influential in the arts of the second half of the 19th century, both as director of the Ac ...

. Upon his return, his friend suggested that he come with him to Sitges to work with

Santiago Rusiñol Santiago Rusiñol i Prats (, ; Barcelona 25 February 1861 – Aranjuez 13 June 1931) was a Spanish painter, poet, journalist, collector and playwright. He was one of the leaders of the Catalan '' modernisme'' movement. He created more than ...

. This led to the establishment of the "Escola Luminista", an artistic movement that came to include many notable Catalan painters. He continued to exhibit widely, including at the

1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition The 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition (in Catalan language, Catalan: ''Exposició Universal de Barcelona'' and ''Exposición Universal de Barcelona'' in Spanish language, Spanish) was Spain's first International World's Fair and ran from 8 Apri ...

. In the 1890s, he made several trips to Madrid and Granada with Rusiñol to create illustrations for ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , ) is a Spanish daily newspaper founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan. It has its headquarters in Barcelona and is Catalonia's leading newspaper. Despite being mostly distributed in Catalonia, ...

''. After 1895, he worked full-time as an illustrator for '. In 1899, he joined the

Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc The Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc (, meaning in English language, English "Saint Lluc Artists' Circle") is an arts society which was founded in Barcelona (Catalonia) in 1893 by Joan Llimona, Josep Llimona, Antoni Utrillo, Alexandre de Riquer, the ...

and, the following year, had his first exhibition of

pastel A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...

s. In 1913, thanks to a donation from

Charles Deering Charles Deering (July 31, 1852 – February 5, 1927) was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist. He was an executive of the agricultural machinery company founded by his father that became International Harvester. Charles's ...

, a patron from America, he was able to decorate the tympanum of the portal of Saint Catherine at the parish church in Sitges. The original has faded badly with the passage of time, but a copy is currently on display. In 1928, he was among those commissioned to paint murals in the

Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya The Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia ( Catalan: ''Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya'', ; Spanish: ''Palacio de la Generalidad de Cataluña'') is a historic palace in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It houses the offices of the Presidency ...

. His final exhibition came in 1932 at the salon held by "La Pinacoteca", a local art gallery. In 1985, a major retrospective of his work was held at the

Maricel Museum The Maricel Museum is a museum located in the centre of Sitges; reopened after a major refurbishment in 2015. The Maricel Museum is part of the Barcelona Provincial Council Local Museum Network. Content In 1969, the Barcelona Provincial Corporatio ...

Selected paintings

Arcadi Mas-el-Reposo.jpg, Repose Arcadi-Mas-Pastora-con-Ocas-.jpg, Shepherdess with Geese (Barcelona) Estudi 10771, 1878 - Arcadi Mas i Fondevila - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, Study (later copied, in part,
by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

) Arcadi Mas-Processo.jpg, Procession (Barcelona) Nen pompeià - Arcadi Mas i Fondevila - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, ''Pompeian Child''

References

External links

Arcadja Auctions: More works by Mas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mas i Fondevila, Arcadi 1852 births 1934 deaths 19th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists Painters from Catalonia Spanish Orientalist painters Painters from Barcelona 19th-century Spanish male artists

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links