Miquel Torner de Semir (1938) - El rostro de la noche

Pictura Gallery presents this magnificent artwork belonging to Miquel Torner de Semir, which represents the introspective profile of a woman wrapped in fragmented shapes and dark colors, evoking the complexity of identity, mystery, and the depth of her inner world. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

• Frame dimensions: 44x38x3 cm.
• Artwork dimensions: 22x16 cm.
• Hand-signed pastel by the artist in the lower left corner of the work, Miquel Torner de Semir.
• The piece is in good condition.
• The work is sold with a beautiful frame with protective glass (included in the auction as a gift).

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the photographs included are an integral part of the lot description.

The work will be professionally packaged 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 via Correos or GLS with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents an intense profile portrait in which a female figure emerges from a dark background, enveloped by a succession of fragmented shapes, overlapped contours, and deep colors. The face is oriented to the left, with the gaze directed at a point outside the composition, while the head, hair, and neck are integrated into a complex structure of planes. The image has a powerful and enigmatic presence, capable of conveying introspection, silence, and notable psychological depth.

The protagonist’s profile constitutes the main visual axis of the work. The forehead, nose, lips, and chin are defined by a firm and sinuous outline that allows the figure to be immediately recognized. The features move away from a conventional representation to acquire a freer and more expressive appearance, as if the face had been reconstructed from memories, emotions, and different viewpoints.

The gaze is one of the most captivating elements of the composition. The eye, deep and dark, is surrounded by bluish, gray, and purplish areas that intensify its expressiveness. Although the gesture remains serene, the direction of the gaze transmits concentration and a certain emotional distance, as if the woman were contemplating a distant reality or completely absorbed in her thoughts.

The nose projects forcefully to the left and helps define the portrait’s personality. Its angular structure visually connects with the forehead and the cheek area, creating an interesting balance between curved lines and geometric forms. The lips, subtly highlighted by a small reddish note, remain closed and reinforce the feeling of silence that envelops the protagonist.

The face is built through a rich variety of colors that replace natural skin tones. Grays, blues, purples, faded pinks, whites, and earth tones are distributed across the features, forming a surface full of nuances. Some areas seem to receive cold light, while others are submerged in reddish and dark shadows, giving the face a changing and deeply emotional appearance.

On the cheek stands out a large maroon area that adds warmth and tension to the whole. This color extends toward the lower part of the face and dialogues with the browns and reddish tones in the hair. Against these warm tones, the blues and greens of the background introduce a sense of depth, creating a chromatic contrast that enhances the figure’s presence.

The hair occupies a large part of the upper and right area of the composition. It appears gathered in a voluminous structure, formed by broad curves and intersecting planes. The browns, copper tones, blacks, greens, and reddish tints suggest highlights and internal movements, turning the hairstyle into an almost architectural form that frames the face and provides balance to the image.

The curved lines that traverse the hair create a subdued sense of movement. Some seem to follow the direction of the strands, while others diverge from the natural shape to construct an independent space. This visual freedom makes the hair also interpretable as an extension of the protagonist’s thoughts, a mass where memories, concerns, and emotions difficult to express accumulate.

At the center of the composition, a clear oval shape stands out, which may recall an ear adorned with a pendant or an ornamental element. Its white outline stands out starkly against the dark colors and acts as a small point of light. This shape introduces a delicate accent within the portrait’s structure and adds a note of elegance to the figure.

The neck extends downward in an elongated and slightly inclined form. Its surface gathers violet, black, gray, and small greenish nuances, prolonging the chromatic richness of the face. The slender silhouette adds distinction and reinforces the contemplative attitude of the protagonist, whose posture conveys both serenity, firmness, and vulnerability.

On the right side appears a wide dark shape that can be interpreted as the back of the head, a second face, or a presence behind the main figure. This barely defined contour introduces a mysterious dimension to the scene. Its proximity allows one to imagine a shadow, a reflection, or a parallel identity that quietly accompanies the protagonist.

The superposition of these forms creates the impression that the portrait contains more than one image. Some outlines seem to belong to the visible face, while others shift and build new silhouettes. This ambiguity invites the viewer to observe the work slowly and discover different possibilities, turning the face into an open space for interpretation.

The background is dominated by blacks, deep blues, dark greens, and violets. Far from being a uniform surface, it is crossed by curved lines, vertical blotches, and small flashes of color. These variations create a nocturnal and introspective atmosphere, while allowing certain parts of the figure to emerge more clearly.

To the left of the face accumulate small green, turquoise, and violet shapes that seem to float in the darkness. Some recall botanical fragments, reflections, or abstract presences. Their vertical arrangement accompanies the woman’s profile and adds an ascending visual rhythm, balancing the greater weight of the head and hair on the right side.

Light appears distributed in a selective manner over the forehead, nose, cheekbone, chin, and neck. These bright highlights do not describe conventional illumination, but rather seem to reveal only certain fragments of the figure. The face thus emerges from the darkness gradually, like a remembered image in incomplete form or like a thought beginning to take shape.

The composition bears a strong sense of intimacy. The proximity of the face and the absence of any spatial reference focus all attention on the expression and the subject’s inner world. No concrete action is shown nor a closed narrative offered; it is precisely this silence that allows the viewer to imagine the story, mood, and thoughts of the figure.

The work can be interpreted as a reflection on identity and its multiple dimensions. The recognizable face coexists with altered shapes, shadows, and possible secondary profiles, suggesting that a person can never be reduced to a single appearance. The different planes seem to represent emotions, memories, and inner facets that overlap and continually transform.

There is also a perception of opposition between exterior serenity and internal agitation. The profile remains still and the lips are closed, but the colors, curved lines, and the fragmentation of the surroundings generate an intense emotional vibration. This duality adds depth to the portrait and makes the silent contemplation of the woman an experience full of tension, mystery, and sensitivity.

The color palette reinforces the nocturnal and sophisticated character of the image. The blues, purples, and blacks create a deep base, while the pinks, maroons, greens, and copper tones introduce small pulses of life. Whites and grays illuminate the features and guide the gaze, establishing a balance between darkness and clarity, presence and hiddenness.

Overall, the work offers a female portrait of great expressive force, built through fragmented features, deep colors, and shapes that seem to multiply the protagonist’s identity. Its silent profile, distant gaze, voluminous hair, and the possible presence of a second face create an intimate and mysterious atmosphere. It is a composition that invites contemplation of what remains hidden behind appearance, conveying introspection, emotional complexity, and a singular beauty capable of imparting character and personality to any space.