Jaume Minguell Miret (1922-1991) - Kitchen Still Life

1. TECHNICAL DATA

Author: Jaume Minguell Miret

Birth and death: Tàrrega, 1922 – 1991

School: Catalan School

Chronology: 1983

Date: Dated “1983” next to the signature

Genre: Still life / bodegón

Theme: Still life with game bird, ceramics, basket and fruits

Technique: Oil

Support: Canvas

Dimensions of the work without frame: 65 × 54 cm

Total dimensions with frame: 83 × 72 cm

Orientation: Vertical

Signature: Signed “J. Minguell Miret” in the lower right corner

Location of the signature: Lower right corner

Style: Catalan Figuration of the 20th century, with naturalist elements and an expressive brushwork

Palette: Ochers, earth tones, browns, deep greens, whites, grays, reds and violets

Represented elements: Game bird, basket, ceramic container with mortar, glazed vessel, red fruits, textiles and domestic utensils

Frame: Large classic gold frame with ornamental moulding, included as a gift

Condition of the support: Canvas mounted on a wooden stretcher, visible on the back

Condition of the painting surface: Generally good conservation, with texture and paint matter typical of oil technique

General condition: Good in relation to its chronology. The photographs are an integral part of the description

2. DESCRIPTION

Interesting still life painted in 1983 by Jaume Minguell Miret, a Catalan painter whose oeuvre encompassed both easel painting and major mural projects.

The composition gathers a set of domestic objects and foods arranged around a game bird placed in the foreground.

On a broad light cloth appear the bird and various reddish fruits, while in the background there are a basket of plant fibers, ceramic containers, a mortar and several pieces of pottery.

The scene is built with a clear will to recover the traditional still life, albeit interpreted from a fully contemporary pictorial sensibility.

The artist gives special importance to textures: the plumage of the bird, the rough surface of the basket, the glaze of the ceramic, the flesh of the fruits and the folds of the fabric receive differentiated treatments.

The ensemble possesses notable visual richness and a strong decorative presence, reinforced by the vertical format and by the monumental way in which everyday objects are presented.

3. STYLISTIC AND COMPOSitional ANALYSIS

The composition is structured through a clear pyramidal organization.

In the foreground, the game bird occupies the lower left area and constitutes one of the main visual centers of the scene.

Its diagonal position introduces movement and directs the gaze toward the central area, where the fruits and the large glazed vessel are located.

This latter acts as a transition element between the foreground and the large basket situated behind.

The basket constitutes the dominant volume in the second plane and contributes verticality to the whole.

On either side there appear smaller containers that balance the composition and avoid an overly symmetrical arrangement.

Minguell works with visible and confident brushwork.

The plumage is built from small brush strokes in grays, violets, whites and earth tones, while the ceramic objects present more compact strokes aimed at describing their volume.

Of particular interest is the contrast between matte and shiny surfaces.

The central vessel reflects tiny points of light, while the plant fibers of the basket are described with short strokes that visually reproduce their weave.

The dark and almost neutral background removes any spatial distraction and concentrates attention on the objects.

This method links to the great European tradition of still life, where objects emerge from contained backgrounds through light and contrast.

However, the execution remains modern.

The brushwork is not hidden behind an academic finish, but clearly preserves the artist’s gesture, especially in the bird, fabrics and fruits.

4. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SYMBOLIC DIMENSION

The still life has a dimension particularly tied to domestic life, to food and to the materiality of everyday objects.

Minguell gathers humble elements —ceramics, plant fibers, fruits and fabrics— and transforms them through painting into protagonists of a monumental composition.

The presence of the game bird also introduces a direct reference to the historical tradition of European still lifes.

Since the Baroque, game pieces were used as elements of strong visual presence and as a demonstration of the painter’s technical ability to represent different materials and textures.

Here, however, the treatment is devoid of excessive theatricality.

A sense of silence and stability predominates.

The arrangement of objects and the restrained lighting generate an intimate, almost domestic atmosphere, where each element seems to retain the weight and physical presence of the things used and lived with.

5. SIGNATURE AND AUTHORSHIP

The work is clearly signed “J. Minguell Miret” in the lower right corner.

Below the signature is also the date “1983”, allowing precise dating of the painting’s execution.

Jaume Minguell Miret was born in Tàrrega in 1922 and died in 1991.

He developed an extensive artistic career throughout the 20th century, working in both easel painting and mural projects.

His production evolved through different pictorial languages, always maintaining careful attention to form, material and color.

This work belongs to a mature stage of his career.

Executed in 1983, it shows confident painting and fully mastered technique, where the artist combines a recognizable representation of objects with a free and visible brushstroke.

The signature, the date and the technical characteristics allow cataloguing the work directly as a creation of Jaume Minguell Miret.

6. OTHER INTERESTING DATA

Jaume Minguell Miret developed a career of more than fifty years devoted to painting.

Although he is particularly recognized for his significant mural production, he also developed an extensive easel work that includes landscape, figure, drawing, illustration and other pictorial genres.

His artistic career is characterized by constant evolution and contact with different currents of 20th-century European painting.

The work presented here is particularly interesting for belonging to the 1980s, within the artist’s final, mature stage.

The still life allows us to appreciate his ability to work with different materials and surfaces: plumage, ceramics, plant fibers, fabrics and fruits receive differentiated pictorial solutions.

The 65 × 54 cm format also provides a substantial dimension to the composition.

The work is presented with a significant gold frame of a classical nature that reaches total dimensions of approximately 83 × 72 cm and reinforces the piece’s visual presence.

7. SHIPPING AND CONDITIONS

The work will be professionally packaged by Barcelona Art Gallery using materials of maximum protection.

The packing will be done in a custom-made box with specific foam protections to ensure maximum safety during transport.

We offer national and international shipping through a professional company.

In certain destinations, especially outside the European Union, there may be additional expenses arising from customs, taxes, documents or administrative export procedures, which will be borne by the buyer when applicable.

When the characteristics of the destination or packaging require reinforced protection, there may be additional transport or handling costs.

The frame is offered free of charge as a complement to the work and is considered a gift. For this reason, the frame cannot be subject to reclamation.

The conservation status of the work and the frame can be viewed in detail in the photographs, which form an integral part of the description.