Paco Castón (1954) - Campos dorados

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent work of art belonging to Andreu Masó, depicting a tranquil town of reddish roofs and bright houses, headed by a church tower and surrounded by golden fields, approached by a country road under the protection of towering blue-tinged mountains. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

· Dimensions with frame: 53x61x3 cm.
· Dimensions without frame: 38x46 cm.
· Oil on canvas hand-signed by the artist at the bottom left.
· 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 photographs included are an integral part of the lot description. Digital representation in an indicative mockup; there may be differences from the actual article in color, scale and details.

The painting 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, GLS or NACEX with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents a wide and evocative panorama of a small town set at the foot of an imposing mountain range. The viewer’s gaze enters the scene through a country road that starts from the foreground and gradually advances between golden and green fields until reaching the first houses. Above the rooftops, the church tower rises, becoming the main reference point of the town, while the blue-tinged mountains in the background envelop the scene and provide a powerful sense of depth, protection, and serenity.

The road occupies a central position within the composition. It begins in the lower right area with substantial width and gradually narrows as it moves toward the town. Its gently curved course avoids a rigid perspective and conveys the impression of a route adapted to the natural irregularities of the terrain. This direction immediately guides the eye from the open field space to the houses grouped in the distance.

The surface of the road is formed by a rich sequence of grays, ochres, whites, purples, and earthy tones. The lighter areas seem to receive direct light, while the darker bands along one side suggest small shadows, slopes, or marks from continued passage. These chromatic variations give the path a natural presence and integrate it harmoniously with the surrounding landscape.

The road’s layout awakens a sense of invitation and discovery. The viewer seems to stand on the outskirts of the urban core, about to traverse the last meters that separate the open countryside from the houses. The slightly curved turn partially hides the exact entry point to the town, adding a delicate element of mystery and allowing the imagination to picture the continuation of the route among the houses, streets, and small squares.

On both sides of the road extend large vegetative areas. The fields are dominated by yellows, ochres, greens, and browns, colors that hint at a warm season or a moment near harvest. The plants are not arranged uniformly but grouped in irregular bands and patches that convey the diversity of rural land. This variety adds movement to the foreground and prevents the landscape from appearing static.

In the left zone, golden and earthy tones predominate. The vertical, elongated shapes of the vegetation recall ears of grain, tall grasses, or ripe crops rising under the light. Among these warm areas appear small green, bluish, and grayish notes suggesting shadows, wild plants, or changes in field density. The combination generates a sense of abundance and fertility.

The right side of the terrain shows greener, fresher vegetation. Here emerald, yellowish, bluish, and ochre tones mix, creating a richly textured surface. This chromatic difference between the two sides of the road helps delineate its path and provides balance to the composition. The path is thus framed by two distinct but complementary natural areas.

In the foreground, the vegetative shapes appear broader and more expressive, while they become smaller and more compact as they approach the town. This progressive diminishment reinforces perspective and allows a clear sense of the distance separating the viewer from the housing core. The fields act as an extensive natural antechamber preparing the visual arrival at the architecture.

The town occupies the central band and is composed of an abundant cluster of houses of different heights and colors. The homes overlap each other, creating a complex succession of facades, roofs, chimneys, and small walls. This accumulation conveys the impression of an old nucleus that has grown organically over time, adapting to the gentle irregularities of the terrain.

The facades present a warm and luminous range formed by whites, creams, soft yellows, pinks, grays, ochres and violet tones. Some houses receive a clear light that highlights their volumes, while others are partially enveloped in cooler shadows. This alternation allows differentiating the constructions while maintaining a strong visual unity within the urban ensemble.

The roofs are one of the most characteristic elements of the town. Their reddish, pinkish, brown, and orange tones are distributed across the central band and create an appealing contrast with the yellow fields and the blue mountains. The sloping coverings overlap at different levels, creating a rhythm of diagonals that enlivens the overall horizontality of the town.

In the right area, several larger houses stand out, with light façades and wide reddish roofs. These buildings are close to the entrance marked by the road and add visual weight to that end. Their white and yellowish walls reflect light, while the dark spaces of doors and windows suggest the intimacy of interiors protected from the exterior heat.

The absence of visible human figures increases the sense of stillness, though the town does not appear abandoned. Well-kept houses, paths, worked fields, and the orderly arrangement of buildings reveal an indirect daily presence. It is possible to imagine its inhabitants inside the homes, working in the nearby lands or walking through streets hidden between the rooftops.

The church tower rises in the central-left part and constitutes the great vertical axis of the scene. Its structure dominates the urban profile without imposing itself excessively over the houses. The upper part, capped by a pointed and luminous roof, is clearly cut against the sky. The dark openings of the belfry add depth and reinforce the monumental character of the construction.

The position of the tower allows it to be identified as the symbolic heart of the town. The houses seem to cluster around it, while its height makes it a visible point from the surrounding fields and paths. In addition to organizing the visual composition, the tower conveys a sense of permanence, history, and continuity, as if it had accompanied the life of the community for generations.

The warm tone of the tower’s stone dialogues with the yellows of the fields and the reddish roofs. The light concentrates especially on its uppermost part, making it appear as one of the brightest points of the landscape. This clarity draws the eye and establishes a contrast with the dark mountains rising behind the town.

Towards the far left appears another vertical structure of singular character. Its silhouette rises above the nearby houses and balances the presence of the main tower. Although less prominent, it adds variety to the urban profile and suggests the existence of other functional or historic buildings within the town. Its clear shape stands gently against the sky and the distance.

The arrangement of these two vertical structures is essential for the balance of the work. The church tower dominates the center, while the structure on the left prevents all visual weight from concentrating in a single point. Between both, an irregular line of rooftops, chimneys, and façades unfolds, giving the town a lively and recognizable profile.

Behind the houses, several dark trees form a transitional band toward the mountains. Their deep, almost blue-green greens contrast with the brightness of the façades and help separate the urban core from the relief in the background. Some trees have tall, slender shapes, while others cluster in denser, rounded masses.

The vegetation behind the houses seems to protect the town and soften the meeting between architecture and mountain. The trees occupy the free spaces between the buildings and rise above certain roofs, demonstrating the close integration of the town with its natural surroundings. This relationship prevents the constructions from appearing isolated and gives the landscape a pleasant sense of continuity.

The mountains dominate the entire upper right and stretch behind the town as a great natural barrier. Their profiles ascend gradually to reach the highest summit, located near the far upper right edge. The relief is formed by intense blues, violets, grays, and muted greens, colors that convey distance and provide a fresh contrast to the warmth of the foreground.

The overlapping slopes create distinct depth planes. The closer elevations appear somewhat darker and more defined, while the distant peaks gradually blend with the sky. This succession allows perceiving the breadth of the terrain and places the town within a much larger landscape, reinforcing its intimate and compact character.

In some areas of the mountain, lighter, pinkish, and grayish bands can be distinguished, which could suggest vegetation changes, paths, rocky surfaces, or illuminated areas. These variations break the uniformity of the relief and add volume. The mountain functions not only as a background but as an essential presence shaping the atmosphere and identity of the place.

The highest peak rises with a rounded and solid shape. Its dark blue hue contrasts with the clear sky and turns the mountain into a majestic, though not threatening, element. The town seems to rest calmly at its feet, protected by the breadth of the relief. This scale relationship underlines the smallness of the buildings in the face of nature’s immensity.

The sky occupies a wide band in the upper-left area and stretches over the mountains with bluish, gray, and greenish tones. Its appearance is serene and slightly hazy, with no clearly defined clouds or strong contrasts. This soft atmosphere allows the tower to stand out clearly and provides a sense of enveloping calm.

The overall lighting seems to correspond to a tranquil moment of the day. The golden fields and the light façades receive a warm light, while the mountains stay in cooler and deeper tones. This contrast between warmth and coolness organizes the different planes of the scene and enhances the perception of distance. The town acts as a meeting point between both chromatic worlds.

The composition is structured around three large spaces: the field and road in the foreground, the town in the central area, and the mountains with the sky in the background. Each strip has its own identity, but all are connected. The road leads toward the houses, the roofs rise toward the tower, and the tower ultimately directs the gaze toward the mountains and the sky.

One of the greatest attractions of the work lies in the harmony between nature and architecture. The houses do not appear separate from the landscape, but integrated among fields, trees, and mountains. Their colors seem to come from the surrounding environment: the roofs repeat the reddish tones of the earth, the façades reflect the yellows of the fields, and the shadows incorporate the blues of the distant relief.

The scene also has a marked emotional dimension. The path can be interpreted as a symbol of arrival, return, or discovery, while the town represents the idea of home and belonging. The tower functions as a visible orientation point from a distance, and the mountains evoke the stability of a landscape that endures over time.

The overall atmosphere conveys silence and serenity. There is no traffic, no tall buildings, nor elements that interrupt rural tranquility. Everything seems to unfold at a slow pace, determined by field cultivation, seasonal change, and the daily life of a small community. This calm makes the landscape an especially welcoming and contemplative image.

The abundance of ocher and yellow tones provides a sense of late summer or early autumn. The fields seem to have reached maturity, while certain greens still retain their intensity. This chromatic coexistence suggests a seasonal transition moment and adds a delicate nuance of nostalgia to the landscape.

In sum, this precious painting offers a serene, luminous, and deeply evocative vision of a rural town at the foot of a great mountain range. The road winding through the golden fields leads the eye to the houses with light façades and reddish roofs, presided by an elegant tower that rises above the town’s profile. The combination of warm soils, green vegetation, traditional architecture, blue-tinged mountains, and a softly veiled sky creates an atmosphere of peace, rootedness, and timeless beauty, capable of transporting the viewer to a place where life seems to unfold in full harmony with nature.