Francesc Cabré Rofes (1909) - La torre y el mar

Pictura Galeria presents this magnificent work of art belonging to Francesc Cabré, depicting a coastal village crowned by an ancient church, with boats beached in the foreground under a gray sky that envelops the scene in a serene and melancholic atmosphere. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

· Frame dimensions: 40.5 x 48.5 x 3 cm.
· Artwork dimensions: 27 x 35 cm.
· Oil on panel signed by hand by the artist in the lower right corner, F. Cabré.
· The piece is in good condition.
· The work is sold with a precious frame (included in the auction as a gift).

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the included photographs form an integral part of the lot description. Digital representation in an indicative mockup; there may be differences with the actual item in color, scale, and details.

The work will be professionally packed by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to ensure its protection. The shipping price covers both the cost of professional packaging and the transport itself.
Shipping will be carried out by Correos or GLS with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents an evocative view of a coastal town dominated by a church perched on the hill and by a large vessel beached in the foreground. The scene gathers architecture, vegetation, sea, and sky within a composition of intense personality, in which the everyday serenity of the town contrasts with a slightly melancholic atmosphere. The gray tones of the sky envelop the landscape and grant prominence to the light façades, the greens of the hillside, and the luminous silhouette of the temple.

At the bottom stands a large white boat laid horizontally on the shore. Its elongated hull occupies a good portion of the foreground and is one of the most striking elements of the work. The reddish band running along its lower part adds warmth and creates an attractive contrast with the white, black, and grayish hues that define the rest of the vessel.

The boat appears out of the water, resting on the beach as if just returned from a day of fishing or waiting for the next outing. Its presence conveys calm, but also speaks of maritime activity and the intimate relationship between the inhabitants and the sea. The simple and sturdy structure of the boat gives it a humble and authentic character, making it a symbol of a traditional way of life.

Next to it one can discern a smaller vessel, located toward the right side. Its vertical position and slight tilt break the pronounced horizontality of the main boat, adding variety and movement to the foreground. The small reddish details visible in this area introduce discreet spots of color that enliven the scene without altering its contained atmosphere.

The shore appears built with earths, ochres, grays, and soft bluish tones. These variations suggest a damp and irregular surface, traversed by small marks and remnants typical of a port space. On the far right, a narrow presence of blue water recalls the immediate proximity of the sea and completes the coastal character of the landscape.

On the left side a small cluster of simple houses with sloped brown and reddish roofs gathers. Their light façades and irregular shapes give a domestic and approachable dimension. They seem like old homes tied to maritime activity, built very close to the beach and protected by the natural elevation of the terrain.

Between these houses and the large vessel appear small dark silhouettes suggesting the presence of people along the shore. Although discreet, they are essential to provide scale and life to the composition. Their small size emphasizes the monumentality of the boat and the hill, while inviting the viewer to imagine a quiet conversation, the end of a workday, or a silent wait by the sea.

The central area is occupied by several buildings with white, cream, and pinkish façades. Their windows, balconies, and vertical divisions are summarized by small dark and bluish strokes that create a pleasant architectural rhythm. The different heights and widths of the buildings avoid rigidity and convey the appearance of a urban core grown slowly, adapting to the landscape.

One of the central buildings, pink-toned, stands out among the others and adds a warm note within the overall palette. On both sides, the light façades reflect the subdued light of the sky and seem to emerge from the vegetation. This small urban group conveys calm and simplicity, as if time were passing there at a slower pace.

Behind the houses extends a hillside covered with abundant vegetation. Deep greens, emerald and olive form a compact mass that separates the town from the elevated architecture. Some canopies are highlighted with lighter tones, while others merge into large dark areas that provide depth and a leafy character to the landscape.

At the top of the hill rises the grand religious complex, the true monumental axis of the scene. Its volumes in yellows, ochers, and browns stand out intensely against the gray sky. The building seems to rest on a wide platform or walled enclosure, visually dominating both the village and the beach at its feet.

The tower, tall and slender, constitutes the culmination of the composition. Its yellow façade receives a special clarity that makes it an almost luminous presence against the darkness of the sky. The slightly irregular top profile and the small opening near the summit reinforce its ancient and solemn appearance.

Next to the tower you can distinguish different overlapped architectural bodies, with sloping roofs and very marked shadows. The reddish roofs introduce a color transition between the yellows of the walls and the dark tones of the construction. The staggered arrangement of these volumes suggests a building developed over time, deeply linked to the history and identity of the place.

Further down appears a triangular-roofed building with a dark façade, in which three small black openings open. This volume sits between the upper enclosure and the vegetation, acting as a visual link between the monumentality of the temple and the more everyday scale of the town. Its bold lines and sober tone provide stability to the center of the image.

The vertical organization of the scene is particularly appealing. The gaze begins at the large beached boat, moves along the promenade houses, climbs through the vegetation, and ends at the church tower. This recorrido gives depth to the landscape and naturally relates the different realms depicted: the sea, urban life, and the heritage atop the hill.

The sky occupies more than half of the composition and plays a fundamental role in the overall atmosphere. Large expanses of gray, dark blue, and muted green move horizontally over the town, suggesting dense, moist clouds. The absence of direct sunlight gives a sense of quiet, stillness, and expectancy, as if rain could begin at any moment.

The lighter areas of the sky appear concentrated around the horizon and behind the hill. This diffuse luminosity allows the silhouettes of buildings and trees to be clearly cut out. In contrast, the upper part presents deeper tones, creating an atmospheric vault that seems to weigh gently on the landscape.

The color palette establishes a very balanced dialogue between cool and warm tones. The grays and bluish tones dominate the sky and the marine area, while the yellows of the church, the pinks of the façades, the reddish of the roofs, and the hull of the boat introduce warmth. The greens of the vegetation serve as a transition and unify the different planes.

The absence of intense activity reinforces the contemplative nature of the image. The boats rest, the streets seem quiet, and the small human figures barely disturb the place’s silence. Everything seems suspended for a moment, perhaps at the end of the afternoon or before the arrival of a storm.

The elevated church can be interpreted as a protective presence watching over the town from the hill. Its tower rises above all other structures and establishes a symbolic relationship with the large boat below. Between them, the life of the population unfolds: one linked to memory and spirituality; the other to work, travel, and the sea.

The work also awakens a notable sense of nostalgia. The houses, traditional boats, and old architecture evoke a Mediterranean enclave preserved in memory, viewed from a distance. It does not depict an extraordinary event, but the quiet beauty of a everyday place charged with history and character.

The contrast between the vast celestial expanse and the concentration of elements in the lower part grants breadth to the whole. The sky allows the scene to breathe and accentuates the smallness of the buildings against the atmospheric immensity. At the same time, the density of the town, vegetation, and boats creates a solid base that visually balances the composition.

The scene invites imagining the soft sound of waves, the rustle of the wind through the trees, the distant voices of fishermen, and perhaps the tolling of bells from the tower. These suggested elements enrich contemplation and help perceive the landscape as a living environment, despite the stillness that dominates the image.

Overall, the work offers a coastally evocative vision of great impact, starring a beached vessel in front of a town that climbs a hill crowned by an ancient church. The light façades, the lush vegetation, the yellow tower, and the imposing gray sky build a serene, melancholic, and deeply Mediterranean atmosphere. The painting celebrates the coexistence of sea, architecture, and memory, transforming a maritime corner into an timeless image full of identity, silence, and beauty."} } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } } }