Llorenç Brunet
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Llorenç Brunet Forroll (1872-1939), also known in Spanish as Lorenzo Brunet, was a Spanish illustrator,
caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...
and
watercolorist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...
. He signed his works as L. Bru-Net or Bru-Net.


Life

Brunet was born in
Badalona Badalona (, , , ) is a municipality in Barcelonès county, in Catalonia (Spain). It is located to the north east of Barcelona, on the left bank of the Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, in the Barcelona metropolitan area. By population, ...
on 14 September 1872, son of the primary teacher Josep Brunet i Bassachs, native from the same town, and Joana Forroll i Codina, from Tiana. During his childhood showed interest in drawing and painting and had contact with Antoni Caba, a prestigious painter and former director from Barcelona Arts and Crafts School who was also a friend of his father, to whom he promised to protect and help Llorenç study art. Some years later he started his studies at Arts and Crafts School. His teachers were the artists Claudi Lorenzale,
Eusebi Planas Eusebi Planas i Franquesa (1833, Barcelona - 13 March 1897, Barcelona)) was a Catalan graphic artist, lithographer and watercolorist. Life and work His family wanted him to study law, but his artistic inclinations prevailed, and he found work w ...
and the aforementioned Caba. Brunet also had great admiration for Claudi Castelucho. Brunet won awards at some contests, in 1891 his teacher Eusebi Planas recommended him going to Paris, where he learned with the
lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...
Mercier. In France he started raising money because of the precarious situation of his parents, to whom he sent money periodically, however he had to abandon temporarily his studies. Short after this, he returned to studies and he stayed in
Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...
and
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
for some time practising painting and drawing and also worked as an illustrator for important French and Spanish publishing houses. There he became interested of applied art of printing books and graphical work in general, field where he ended up standing out. When he was 20 and was staying in Algiers won an extraordinary award for composition and historical theme with the large oil painting named ''Entrega de las llaves de Orán al cardenal Cisneros'', which was later ceded to Badalona City Council. The next year he was sent to
military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...
, to the body of engineers in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
where he likewise practised his artistic technique. From that period are drawings as ''La marcha del quinto'' and ''Mi capitán'' (1895). When he returned to Catalonia, he settled 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 ...
and married Consolació Salada, with whom had two daughters, Julieta and Maria Teresa. In 1910 the statal ''Junta de Pensiones para Ampliar Estudios'', chaired by Santiago Ramon y Cajal, gave him a scholarship to study in Germany. He lived in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
until some time before the start of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, where he get fond for
bookplate An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...
s. Since then Brunet felt great sympathy for the Germans, his friends and family considered him a Germanophile. When he returned to Barcelona was appointed teacher of drawing and colour in the section of artistic craft of the local School of Work. The arrival of the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
, the new authorities removed him in 1931, a fact that upset and demoralized him. Brunet has been considered an apolitical personal and his only interest was art. It is probable that his cessation was simply because he had been appointed during the monarchical period. He tried to fight what he belevied to be an injustice and asked help to his friend Apel·les Mestres to intercede for him. However, a few years later he was appointed professor at the Secondary School in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, a position he held for very little time and eventually resigned. The
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
meant worries and concerns for him. His house located in Balmes street was registered several times. In spite of this he continued to go to social circles at the cafes in the Rambla. A short time after his daughter Maria Teresa got sick and Brunet himself, affected for this, became ill and had to be admitted at the hospital. On 28 September 1938 his daughter died and the next year Brunet died too, on 12 October 1939.


Work

Brunet was a very prolific artist, working especially on bookplates, drawings, caricatures and posters, as well as watercolors, with which he participated several times in exhibitions in Barcelona in years 1911, 1918, 1919 and 1921. His work was awarded in various exhibitions and competitions, both in Spain and internationally. These distinctions made him deserve to be a member of the Spanish committee of the Rivoli International Exhibition. Important publishers, magazines and art books asked for his works to illustrate his works. In Catalonia and Spain Brunet collaborated with newspapers as ''
L'Esquella de la Torratxa ''L'Esquella de la Torratxa'' was an illustrated satirical weekly magazine, written in Catalan language, Catalan. Published in Barcelona between 1872 and 1939, it was well known for its republicanism, pro-republican and Anti-clericalism, anti-cle ...
'', '' La Campana de Gràcia'', ''La Campana Catalana'', ''El Diluvio Ilustrado'', ''Palla Nova'', ''Cu-Cut!'', ''Dominguín'' and ''ABC''. He signed his works as L. Bru-Net or only Bru-Net. He published two collections of pen drawings: ''Caps de casa'' (1922) and ''Testes de la terra-Catalunya'' (1929), a collection of types from various Catalan regions. Brunet was fond of drawing landscapes, as a good connoisseur of the mountains around Badalona, especially La Conreria, he made drawings of the views of the mountains and their monuments, such as the Carthusian monastery of Montalegre (Tiana). Some of his drawings were published in 1889 in the magazine ''La Ilustración Ibérica''. It also illustrated the book about the monastery of Montalegre in 1921 written by Pedro Cano Barranco. Art critic Núñez de Prado wrote about Brunet: “He is superb and human at a time. He possesses the humor of the English and the intention of the Germans. Sometimes wanting to scratch, tear, perhaps remembering what his father suffered and the little protection of the governments of those times, despite the already high personalities have admired him and begged him to send and acquire his excellent original drawings, as did his great admirers and protectors, Segismundo Moret, Nicolás Salmerón, the King of Saxony, the Prince of Wüttemberg, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Dato, Bascarán, Maura and Bermúdez Reina.” Since his death, his work soon was forgotten, despite his remarkable artistic quality. At the end of 2018, the Museum of Badalona dedicated an exhibition to him, giving special importance to his drawings of the World War I.


Collectionism

For many years Brunet became interested and collected many artistic works and antiquities from Catalonia. Brunet gathered them in a house which he called Cau Brunet, located in Colònia Bosc de la Coreria, a summer residential area in Sant Fost de Campsentelles. His intention was to turn the house into a museum. The land on which he had built the house had probably been given to him by the promoters of the area, Francesc Artigues and Gonçal Arnús, who were interested in the founding of a museum in the colony and convert it in a meeting point for hikers. Brunet turned the house into that museum in 1914 and asked collaboration to Badalona City Council, that seconded the proposal. On October 16 of that year, the mayor Josep Casas wrote him thanking for his work.


References


Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brunet, Llorenç People from Badalona Artists from Catalonia Spanish illustrators Spanish caricaturists Spanish watercolourists 1872 births 1939 deaths