José Gómez Abad (1904-1993) - Ebtre luces y labores

Signed by the artist at the bottom and dated 1949.

On the back, it is again signed and dated in Almería.

Work dimensions: 81 x 65 cm.

Frame size: 103 x 87 cm.

The work is presented framed (the frame has some minor flaws).

The work is in good condition.

No translatable content provided.

Biography of Jose Gómez Abad (Pechina, 1904 – Almería, 1993)

Painter. Known as the painter of grapes and his skillful still lifes, he has become a prophet in his homeland and is considered one of the most recognized figurative painters of 20th-century Almería. As a child, he attended an art academy located on Calle Real but soon left classes to join the workforce; this lack of formal training has always earned him the label of autodidact, which he himself has proclaimed. He was not entirely satisfied with his work and, in 1931, moved to Madrid, where he began to paint. Upon his return, he decided to exhibit in a shop in Almería and, in 1936, taking advantage of a trip to Barcelona, exhibited for the first time at the Galería Layetana. The Civil War broke out, forcing him to leave everything behind and move to Valencia and then to Almería. After the conflict, he returned to work and moved to Barcelona in 1941 with six paintings that he quickly sold again at the Galería Layetana. Upon returning to Almería, he decided to leave his job to dedicate himself entirely to painting, and in 1942, he returned to Barcelona to great public and critical success. Throughout the 1940s, he continued to showcase his work mainly in Barcelona, at Sala Augusta and Galería Layetana. One of his early exhibitions in Almería was in 1942, at the Provincial Delegation of the Popular Education Vice-Secretariat hall. Even in these early works, his definitive style was taking shape: still lifes of fruits or game, including marine elements. Over time, his drawing profile was consolidating and acquiring the virtuosity that has characterized him. Jesús Perceval, at the beginning of the Indaliano Movement, included him in the first collective exhibitions they held and even exhibited at the Indaliana show at the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno (Madrid, 1947). However, the aesthetic principles of Indaliano were far from Gómez Abad’s 'still lifes,' lacking the influence of Mediterranean light; and their ideological and even chronological separation, as he was much older than the other painters. Perhaps for this reason, he stopped being considered one of them and remained faithful to his still life style, where there is more than mere copying—reveling in roughness, fragrances, and textures. Many objects inspired him: baskets, tablecloths, seafood, furniture, game, flowers... but his fruits, especially grapes, stand out, which he masterfully depicts full of chromaticism, transparency, and simplicity, where neatness and care surpass the very reality of the bunch.

In 1952, he held an exhibition at the Villaespesa Library in Almería where he primarily used oil paints, drawing on a smooth metal plate with printing ink and then printing it onto paper. This unique work was called a 'monotype.' Between the 1950s and 1970s, he exhibited in numerous cities: Granada, Vitoria, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Bilbao (1969)... and, naturally, in Almería, at the Casino Cultural, Círculo Mercantil... always faithful to his aesthetic principles as a meticulous painter, creating true miniatures in large format. In 1962, he received the Bronze Palm at the first painting competition of Southeastern Spain, in Elche.

In Almería, his exhibitions are met with great success from both the public and critics, most of them held in August, which has led his paintings to acquire a distinctly cosmopolitan character year after year. In 1979, a retrospective of his work was held, marking his 'golden anniversary' in painting, which became a tribute to his personal and artistic figure, receiving laudatory articles from the most important critics of the time. On this occasion, a monographic Art Notebook was published, with 140 pages of texts and photographs that encompass his entire artistic legacy, along with comments and critiques from art commentators of the era. His paintings seem to never go out of style, and his works, with slight variations, continue to attract the public in Almería. The Harvy gallery in Almería hosted several exhibitions in the 1970s, notably a particularly unusual one in 1976 featuring landscapes of farmhouses and mountain villages.