Rafael Bataller Giralt (1920-2013) - Bodegón frutal






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Description from the seller
The work is signed by the artist at the bottom.
The painting is presented framed.
The condition of the work is good.
Dimensions of the work: 65 x 92 cm.
Dimensions of the frame: 80 x 106 cm.
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Artist biography:
Rafel (Rafael) Bataller i Giralt was a Catalan painter and draftsman, closely linked to Blanes and popularly known as “the painter of Formentera.”
Life and training:
He was born in Blanes (La Selva, Girona) on November 26, 1920, son of Dolors Giralt and doctor Tomàs Bataller, a physician and amateur photographer.
His first drawing studies were with the watercolorist Ramon Reig at the Figueres High School Institute, and during the Civil War he studied with Àngel Planells at the Escola d’Arts i Oficis in Blanes.
In 1950 he graduated from the Escola Superior de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi in Barcelona, where he received a solid academic training.
Subsequently he broadened his printmaking studies with master Jaume Pla and, between 1951 and 1956, attended the “campaments pictòrics” of the Lucerna group organized by Josep Maria Garrut.
In 1956 he obtained a scholarship to go to Paris, a key experience in his artistic development and in the international opening of his work.
Artistic career and themes:
He was a painter, draftsman and watercolorist, as well as a photographer, and he exhibited in prestigious spaces such as Sala Parés in Barcelona.
He is known as “the painter of Formentera” because the island, which he first visited in 1956, became one of his preferred motifs and an essential part of his landscape imagination.
Throughout his life he resided and had studios in various places that shaped his work: Paris, Barcelona, Formentera and Es Bòrdes (Val d’Aran).
La Vall d’Aran, together with Blanes and Formentera, was another of his “paradises”: there he developed a significant body of painting and photography focused on snowy landscapes and mountain architecture.
His interest in light and atmosphere is constant, both in painting and photography, and is reflected in his attention to the chromatic changes of the landscape.
Photography and other facets:
Photography accompanied his painter’s activity throughout; he won the I Color Slide Provincial Contest of Girona in 1964 and received prizes in other national competitions.
The Municipal Archive of Blanes preserves his personal archive, with documentation about his career and thousands of photographs that bear witness to his artistic vision.
He was also a great sailing enthusiast and a founding member of the Blanes Sailing Club in 1943, a facet that strengthened his bond with the sea and with Blanes.
Personal life and recognitions:
In 1968 he married the Filipino artist Rosario de Oteyza (Charo de Oteyza); together they sought inspiration in Blanes, Formentera, Paris and the Vall d’Aran.
He received numerous tributes: in 1958 Blanes held a first tribute to his successes in Paris, and Josep Maria de Sagarra dedicated the poem “A Rafael Bataller, pintor i navegant.”
The City Hall of Blanes invited him to give the opening address of the Festa Major de Santa Anna in 1997, recognizing his cultural relevance in the city.
In 2011 the Consell Insular de Formentera awarded him the Premi Sant Jaume for his contribution to projecting the island through his work.
In 2013 the Conselh Generau d’Aran organized an official reception in which Bataller donated the painting “Es Bòrdes,” viewed of the town where he had one of his studios.
Final years and legacy:
He passed away on November 11, 2013, at 92, and a few days later a large retrospective exhibition opened at Casa Saladrigas (Blanes), functioning as a posthumous tribute.
In 2020 Blanes began a program of events to commemorate the centenary of his birth, underscoring his importance as a local artist and his broader projection beyond the city.
His figure is remembered today as that of a multifaceted creator, deeply linked to Blanes, Formentera and the Vall d’Aran, and as a great visual chronicler of these landscapes.
The work is signed by the artist at the bottom.
The painting is presented framed.
The condition of the work is good.
Dimensions of the work: 65 x 92 cm.
Dimensions of the frame: 80 x 106 cm.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Artist biography:
Rafel (Rafael) Bataller i Giralt was a Catalan painter and draftsman, closely linked to Blanes and popularly known as “the painter of Formentera.”
Life and training:
He was born in Blanes (La Selva, Girona) on November 26, 1920, son of Dolors Giralt and doctor Tomàs Bataller, a physician and amateur photographer.
His first drawing studies were with the watercolorist Ramon Reig at the Figueres High School Institute, and during the Civil War he studied with Àngel Planells at the Escola d’Arts i Oficis in Blanes.
In 1950 he graduated from the Escola Superior de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi in Barcelona, where he received a solid academic training.
Subsequently he broadened his printmaking studies with master Jaume Pla and, between 1951 and 1956, attended the “campaments pictòrics” of the Lucerna group organized by Josep Maria Garrut.
In 1956 he obtained a scholarship to go to Paris, a key experience in his artistic development and in the international opening of his work.
Artistic career and themes:
He was a painter, draftsman and watercolorist, as well as a photographer, and he exhibited in prestigious spaces such as Sala Parés in Barcelona.
He is known as “the painter of Formentera” because the island, which he first visited in 1956, became one of his preferred motifs and an essential part of his landscape imagination.
Throughout his life he resided and had studios in various places that shaped his work: Paris, Barcelona, Formentera and Es Bòrdes (Val d’Aran).
La Vall d’Aran, together with Blanes and Formentera, was another of his “paradises”: there he developed a significant body of painting and photography focused on snowy landscapes and mountain architecture.
His interest in light and atmosphere is constant, both in painting and photography, and is reflected in his attention to the chromatic changes of the landscape.
Photography and other facets:
Photography accompanied his painter’s activity throughout; he won the I Color Slide Provincial Contest of Girona in 1964 and received prizes in other national competitions.
The Municipal Archive of Blanes preserves his personal archive, with documentation about his career and thousands of photographs that bear witness to his artistic vision.
He was also a great sailing enthusiast and a founding member of the Blanes Sailing Club in 1943, a facet that strengthened his bond with the sea and with Blanes.
Personal life and recognitions:
In 1968 he married the Filipino artist Rosario de Oteyza (Charo de Oteyza); together they sought inspiration in Blanes, Formentera, Paris and the Vall d’Aran.
He received numerous tributes: in 1958 Blanes held a first tribute to his successes in Paris, and Josep Maria de Sagarra dedicated the poem “A Rafael Bataller, pintor i navegant.”
The City Hall of Blanes invited him to give the opening address of the Festa Major de Santa Anna in 1997, recognizing his cultural relevance in the city.
In 2011 the Consell Insular de Formentera awarded him the Premi Sant Jaume for his contribution to projecting the island through his work.
In 2013 the Conselh Generau d’Aran organized an official reception in which Bataller donated the painting “Es Bòrdes,” viewed of the town where he had one of his studios.
Final years and legacy:
He passed away on November 11, 2013, at 92, and a few days later a large retrospective exhibition opened at Casa Saladrigas (Blanes), functioning as a posthumous tribute.
In 2020 Blanes began a program of events to commemorate the centenary of his birth, underscoring his importance as a local artist and his broader projection beyond the city.
His figure is remembered today as that of a multifaceted creator, deeply linked to Blanes, Formentera and the Vall d’Aran, and as a great visual chronicler of these landscapes.
