Josep Serrasanta

JOSEP SERRASANTA (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1916 - Valldoreix, Barcelona, 1998).
"Landscape with shepherd and flock".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
The frame shows some lack of polychromy.
Measurements: 72 x 99 cm; 95 x 123 cm (frame).
Born in Argentina, although of Catalan parents, Serrasanta lived in Catalonia since his childhood. There he studied at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de La Lonja, and completed his training as a disciple of Francesc Gimeno. Although he also tackled other themes such as still life, he soon achieved fame thanks to his beautiful landscapes of small abandoned villages, and also for his popular types, such as his famous gitanillas de Barcelona ("little gypsies of Barcelona"). He also cultivated mural painting, producing in this field in tempera, fresco and oil decorations in various Catalan churches. Particularly noteworthy are the admired murals he painted in the church of Santa Maria de Castelldefels (1950-58), as well as the paintings of the three domes of Lleida Cathedral. He had solo exhibitions in Tarrasa and later in the Augusta galleries in Barcelona in 1950. He also held personal exhibitions on several occasions in Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, Paris and various cities in the United States and Japan. His work, which is traditional in concept, is notable for its energetic use of the palette knife and vibrant chromaticism. In 1964 he won the Grand Prix International de Cannes, and later the French government awarded him the Grand Croix du Commandeur au Mérite National Française. He is currently represented in various public and private collections, mainly in Catalonia.