Paco Castón (1954) - Campos dorados

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

· Framed dimensions: 53x61x3 cm.
· Unframed dimensions: 38x46 cm.
· Oil on canvas hand-signed by the artist in the bottom left.
· The piece is in good preservation 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 a mockup is indicative; there may be differences with the real item 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. Shipping price covers both the cost of professional packing 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 village at the foot of an imposing mountain range. The viewer’s gaze enters the scene through a country road that starts in the foreground and gradually advances between golden and green fields until reaching the first houses. Above the roofs stands the church tower, turned into the main reference point of the town, while bluish mountains in the background envelop the scene and provide a powerful sense of depth, protection and serenity.

The road occupies a fundamental position within the composition. It begins in the lower right area with considerable width and gradually narrows as it advances toward the village. Its slightly curved path avoids 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 gathered in the distance.

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

The layout of the road evokes 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 bend partially hides the exact entrance to the village, adding a delicate element of mystery and allowing the continuation of the route to be imagined among the houses, streets and small squares.

On both sides of the road there are large areas of vegetation. The fields are dominated by yellows, ochres, greens and browns, colors that suggest a warm time of year or a period close to harvest. The plants are not arranged uniformly, but grouped in irregular bands and patches that convey the diversity of the rural terrain. This variety adds movement to the foreground and prevents the landscape from appearing static.

In the left zone, golden and earthy tones prevail. The vertical, elongated shapes of the vegetation recall ears of grain, tall grasses or mature crops that rise under the light. Among these warm areas appear small green, bluish and grayish notes suggesting shadows, wild plants or changes in plant density. The combination generates an impression of abundance and fertility.

The right side of the land shows greener and fresher vegetation. Emerald, yellowish, bluish and ochre tones mix to create a richly variegated surface. This chromatic difference between the two sides of the road helps delimit its course and provides balance to the composition. The path is thus framed by two distinct yet complementary natural areas.

In the foreground, the plant forms appear broader and more expressive, while they become smaller and more compact as they approach the village. This progressive diminution reinforces perspective and allows a clear sense of the distance separating the viewer from the heart of the housing.

The village occupies the central band and consists of a plentiful grouping of houses of varying heights and colors. The dwellings overlap one another, creating a complex sequence of façades, roofs, chimneys and small walls. This accumulation conveys the impression of an old core that has grown organically over time, adapting to the gentle irregularities of the terrain.

The façades present a warm and luminous range made up of whites, creams, soft yellows, pinks, grays, ochres and violet tones. Some homes receive clear light that highlights their volumes, while others are partially wrapped in cooler shadows. This alternation allows differentiating the buildings while maintaining a strong visual unity within the urban ensemble.

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

In the right zone several larger houses stand out, with light façades and wide reddish roofs. These buildings are near the entrance marked by the road and impart visual weight to that edge. Their white and yellowish walls reflect the light, while the dark spaces of doors and windows suggest the interior’s privacy from exterior heat.

The absence of visible human figures increases the sense of stillness, though the village does not seem abandoned. Well-kept houses, paths, cultivated fields and the orderly arrangement of the buildings reveal an everyday presence indirect. One can imagine its inhabitants inside the homes, working in nearby fields or walking the streets hidden among the roofs.

The church tower rises in the central left and constitutes the great vertical axis of the scene. Its structure dominates the urban profile without imposing excessively on the houses. The upper portion, topped by a pointed and luminous cap, stands clearly against the sky. The dark openings of the belfry add depth and reinforce the monumental character of the structure.

The tower’s position allows identifying it as the town’s symbolic heart. The houses seem to cluster around it, while its height makes it a visible landmark from the surrounding fields and roads. In addition to ordering the composition visually, the tower conveys a sense of permanence, history and continuity, as if it had accompanied the community’s life for generations.

The warm tone of the tower’s stone dialogues with the field yellows and the reddish roofs. The light concentrates especially on its upper summit, making it appear as one of the most luminous 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 town’s profile and suggests the existence of other functional or historic buildings within the locality. Its clear form stands softly against the sky and the distance.

The distribution of these two vertical structures is essential for the work’s balance. The church tower dominates the center, while the left-side building prevents all visual weight from concentrating in one point. Between both runs an irregular line of roofs, chimneys and façades that gives the town a lively and recognizable profile.

Behind the houses, several dark trees form a transitional band toward the mountains. Their deep, almost bluish greens contrast with the façades’ luminosity and help separate the urban core from the relief in the background. Some trees display tall and slender shapes, while others cluster into denser, rounded masses.

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

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

The overlap of the slopes creates different depth planes. The nearer elevations appear somewhat darker and more defined, while the distant summits gradually merge with the sky. This sequence allows perceiving the territory’s vastness and places the village within a much larger landscape, reinforcing its intimate and compact character.

In some mountain areas, lighter, pinkish and grayish bands can be distinguished, which could suggest vegetation changes, roads, rocky surfaces or illuminated areas. These variations break the relief’s uniformity and add volume. The mountain does not function merely as a backdrop but as an essential presence that shapes the place’s atmosphere and identity.

The highest summit rises with a rounded, solid shape. Its dark blue hue contrasts with the clear sky and makes the mountain a majestic, though not threatening, element. The town seems to rest peacefully at its feet, protected by the relief’s expansiveness. This scale relationship underscores the smallness of the buildings against the vastness of nature.

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.

Overall, the lighting appears to correspond to a tranquil moment of the day. The golden fields and light façades receive a warm light, while the mountains remain in cooler, deeper tones. This opposition between warmth and freshness organizes the different planes of the scene and increases the perception of distance. The village acts as a meeting point between both color worlds.

The composition is structured around three large spaces: the field and the road in the foreground, the village in the central area, and the mountains with the sky in the background. Each band has its own identity, but they are all connected. The road leads toward the houses, roofs ascend toward the tower, and the tower finally 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 separated from the landscape, but integrated among fields, trees and mountains. Their colors seem to come from the environment itself: the roofs repeat the reddish tones of the earth, the façades reflect the field’s yellows and the shadows incorporate the blues of the distant relief.

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

The overall atmosphere conveys silence and calm. There is no traffic, large buildings, or elements that interrupt rural tranquility. Everything seems to unfold at a slow pace, determined by field cultivation, seasonal changes and daily life of a small community. This calm makes the landscape a particularly welcoming and contemplative image.

The abundance of ochre and yellow tones gives a sense of late summer or early autumn. The fields seem to have reached maturity, while some greens still retain their intensity. This chromatic coexistence suggests a transitional seasonal moment and adds a delicate nostalgic nuance to the landscape.

In sum, this precious painting offers a serene, luminous and deeply evocative view of a rural town at the foot of a great mountain range. The road meandering through the golden fields guides the eye toward the light façades and reddish roofs, presided over by an elegant tower that rises above the town’s profile. The combination of warm earth tones, green vegetation, traditional architecture, bluish 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.