Miquel Torner de Semir (1938) - La dama

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent artwork by Miquel Torner de Semir, depicting an elegant profile of a woman, wrapped in intense colors and crowned by a large reddish headdress, whose distant gaze conveys serenity, mystery, and introspection. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

• Dimensions with frame: 51x51x6 cm.
• Dimensions without frame: 24x24 cm.
• Mixed technique hand-signed by the artist at the bottom right.
• The piece is in good condition.
• The work comes with a beautiful frame (included in the auction as a gift).

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

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

The painting will be professionally packaged by 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 features a profile portrait of a female figure whose serene presence occupies the center of a composition dominated by color, line, and a delicate sense of introspection. The woman directs her gaze to the right, seemingly unaware of the viewer, while her silhouette is clearly outlined against a background of soft and shifting tones. The simplicity of the gesture, the elegance of the neck, and the purity of the contour give the image an intimate, silent, and deeply evocative beauty.

The face constitutes the primary expressive nucleus of the work. Represented in profile, it shows a broad forehead, a fine and straight nose, delicately defined lips, and a softly rounded chin. The dark contour delimiting these features allows the figure to stand out against the background without needing overly detailed description. The economy of lines brings modernity and elegance, while the harmony of proportions conveys a sense of calm and inner balance.

Especially significant is the protagonist’s gaze. The eye, carefully highlighted, seems to fix on a distant point outside the composition. It is not a gaze directed at the viewer, but a reserved expression that invites imagining the woman’s thoughts, memories, or emotions. This orientation toward an invisible space symbolically expands the scene and makes the portrait an open image, capable of suggesting waiting, contemplation, nostalgia, or reverie.

The hair is gathered at the back of the head in a complex and ornamental structure. The curved lines and the small details around the ear evoke an elaborate hairstyle, possibly held by a ribbon, a comb, or a discreet ornament. This area introduces graphic richness that contrasts with the overall simplicity of the face. The combination of bluish volumes, black contours, and repeated shapes gives the hairstyle an almost sculptural presence.

From the top of the hair arises a large reddish-orange form that extends to the left, occupying a good part of the upper area of the composition. It can be interpreted as a headdress, a fabric, a large flower, or a symbolic prolongation of the figure’s thought. Its irregular and expansive shape adds energy and drama, balancing the stillness of the profile with a strong, motion-filled chromatic presence.

Within this large warm area appear deeper red spots that enrich its volume and create different centers of intensity. The reds, corals, and oranges convey vitality, passion, and emotional strength, while their open boundaries allow the form to merge visually with the surrounding space. This chromatic expansion could be understood as an external manifestation of the protagonist’s inner life, as if her emotions were silently unfurling behind her.

In contrast with those warm colors, the upper and central areas incorporate deep blues, purples, grays, and delicate greenish hues. These cool tones envelop the head and impart a sense of depth, mystery, and contemplation. The intense blue above the face seems to act as a shadow or as an extension of the hair, creating a beautiful contrast with the reddish tones that dominate the left side.

The face is not covered by a single uniform color, but pierced by visual transparencies and delicate variations of pink, mauve, blue, green, and beige. These tones blend together and give the skin a changing, sensitive, and almost ethereal appearance. More than merely describing the physical appearance of the woman, the color seems to reveal different states of mind, turning her face into an emotional landscape rich in nuances.

The cheek gathers much of this chromatic richness. Soft pinks mix with violets and blues, suggesting inner illumination rather than a clearly defined natural light. This play of colors adds depth without hardening the features and reinforces the portrait’s delicacy. The protagonist appears suspended between reality and memory, like a figure emerging from a dream or a distant memory.

The lips, discreetly tinged with red, introduce a small point of intensity within the face. Their closed, tranquil shape reinforces the silence of the figure, who seems to be keeping to herself what she thinks or feels. This detail, along with the gaze direction, builds a reserved and enigmatic personality. The expression is not evidently sad or joyful, but remains in a very attractive emotional ambiguity.

The line of the neck takes on fundamental importance in the composition. Its long, elegant curve descends from the jaw and extends toward the shoulders, creating a sense of refinement and lightness. The neck acts as a visual bridge between the face and the lower part of the image, while the dark contour organizes the figure with great clarity. This elongated stylization brings a noble, timeless quality to the protagonist.

In the lower area appears a garment in reddish, pink, and orange tones that covers the shoulders and the upper torso. Its color dialogues directly with the large warm form behind the head, establishing visual continuity between the clothing and the possible headdress. The broad, curved outlines of the garment reinforce the overall softness of the figure and provide stability to the composition.

The background is built through a succession of subdued colors surrounding the profile without defining a concrete space. Pale greens, bluish grays, veiled whites, pinks, and earthy tones are distributed irregularly, creating an indefinable and poetic atmosphere. The absence of architectural or landscape elements concentrates all attention on the woman and allows the figure to exist in a space more emotional than physical.

This indeterminacy of the environment gives the portrait a universal dimension. The protagonist does not clearly belong to a particular era, place, or situation, so she can be interpreted as a symbolic image of femininity, memory, or contemplation. Her stylized features and reserved attitude allow for multiple stories: she could be waiting for someone, recalling a past moment, or simply observing in silence what lies beyond our sight.

The composition finds its balance in the opposition between stillness and movement. The profile line is clean, stable, and contained, while the color patches in the background and the headdress expand with greater freedom. This coexistence generates a delicate visual tension: the face remains serene, but everything surrounding it seems to vibrate and transform. Thus, the image conveys both exterior calm and interior intensity.

There is also an interesting dialogue between what is defined and what is suggested. Some parts, such as the eye, the nose, the lips, the ear, and the contour of the hairstyle, are clearly delineated, while others dissolve into color zones. This alternation allows immediate recognition of the figure while also leaving space for the imagination. The viewer can mentally complete what the composition merely hints at.

The decorative force of the work arises from its harmonious chromatic distribution. Reds and oranges bring warmth and energy; blues and purples introduce serenity and depth; soft greens balance the whole; and earthy tones create a welcoming base. Although the color variety is wide, all of them relate through delicate transitions that avoid any sense of rupture.

Thus, the woman earns a majestic presence without the need for grand gestures. Her beauty lies in serenity, in the elegance of the profile, and in the mystery of a gaze that looks beyond the scene. The large headdress and the richness of color elevate the portrait above a daily representation, turning the protagonist into an almost allegorical figure associated with sensitivity, imagination, and inner strength.

Overall, this precious painting offers a female portrait full of elegance, sensitivity, and mystery, in which a profile-driven woman contemplates silently a space beyond the composition. The delicacy of her features, the refinement of the hairstyle, the intensity of the large reddish headdress, and the enveloping combination of blues, pinks, greens, and violets create a poetic and deeply expressive image. The work conveys a fascinating union of external serenity and emotional richness, turning the protagonist into an timeless presence that seems to inhabit between memory, dream, and contemplation.