Ricardo Tárrega Viladoms (1904-1999) - Fields under a summer sky

1. TECHNICAL DATA

Author: Ricardo Tárrega Viladoms

Birth and death: 1904–1999

School: Spanish/Catalan school of the 20th century

Chronology: 20th century

Genre: Rural landscape

Theme: Harvest field with stooks, trees and open horizon

Technique: Oil

Support: Panel

Dimensions of the work without frame: 33 × 40 cm

Total dimensions with frame: 48 × 55 cm

Orientation: Horizontal

Signature: Signed “R. Tárrega” in the lower right corner

Location of the signature: Lower right corner

Style: Post-Impressionist landscape painting of naturalistic root, with broad brushwork, luminous color and strong atmospheric interest

Palette: Ochres, yellows, earth tones, greens, blues and whites

Represented elements: Harvest field, stooks, trees, crops, open sky and background landscape

Frame: Golden frame of classical taste, included as a gift

Condition of the support: Board stable at first glance, framed and protected by later mounting

Condition of the pictorial surface: Generally well preserved, with visible brushwork and paint material

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


2. DESCRIPTION

Interesting rural landscape executed in oil on panel by Ricardo Tárrega Viladoms.

The composition depicts a wide harvest field under a bright, highly developed sky, in which the large cloud masses take on a prominence almost equal to that of the landscape itself.

In the foreground appear several stooks or sheaves of grain distributed over the ground, created with quick brushstrokes of ochres, yellows, earth tones and dark blues.

A large tree slightly left of center acts as the visual axis of the composition, balanced by a second grouping of trees on the right.

The landscape opens progressively toward the horizon through a succession of fields and color bands, creating a notable sense of breadth and depth.


3. STYLISTIC AND COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS

The work is rooted in 20th-century Spanish landscape painting with a Post-Impressionist sensibility.

The artist builds the composition with large masses of color and visible brushwork, avoiding overly descriptive detail.

The foreground is treated with particular energy.

The stooks are resolved with brief, directional strokes that simultaneously suggest volume, texture and light.

The warm yellows and ochres contrast effectively with the deeper blues and greens used in the shadowed areas.

The central figure of the tree introduces a powerful vertical element within a fundamentally horizontal composition.

Its crown is built with dense brushstrokes in greens, blues and turquoise, using color contrasts to suggest volume rather than resorting to strict academic modeling.

The sequence of background fields is articulated by horizontal bands of different colors.

This device allows generating perspective and distance with notable economy of means.

Especially attractive is the treatment of the sky.

The clouds are executed with broad, undulating brushstrokes of white, blue and gray, creating a vibrant surface that adds dynamism to the whole scene.

The overall facture is spontaneous, confident and chromatically intense.

The artist places greater emphasis on visual impression, light and the vibrancy of the landscape than on a meticulous description of each element.


4. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ATMOSPHERIC DIMENSION

The work conveys a clear sense of breadth, serenity and luminosity.

The absence of human figures makes the landscape the absolute protagonist.

However, the presence of the stooks indirectly introduces human activity and agricultural work.

The field appears transformed by the harvest, though the artist avoids any overly explicit narrative or local color.

A contemplative perception of the territory prevails.

The open sky and the large clouds reinforce this sense of space, while the warm colors of the foreground suggest a bright summer day.

There is a very effective balance between the calm of the horizontal landscape and the movement produced by the brushwork of the sky and vegetation.


5. SIGNATURE AND AUTHORSHIP

The work appears signed “R. Tárrega” in the lower right corner.

The signature is directly integrated onto the pictorial surface and is clearly visible in the photographs.

Ricardo Tárrega Viladoms, born in 1904 and died in 1999, developed his production within the figurative and landscape Spanish tradition of the 20th century.

This work is consistent with a Post-Impressionist sensibility, especially visible in the use of an open brushwork, color intensity and interest in capturing the luminous effects of the landscape.

The combination of signature, technique and pictorial language allows cataloguing the work directly as a creation of Ricardo Tárrega Viladoms.


6. OTHER INTERESTING DATA

The work constitutes a good example of the rural Spanish landscape of the 20th century, particularly of that current that extended chromatic and luminous discoveries of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism within a fully figurative painting.

The theme of harvest fields and stooks allowed many artists to explore light variations on surfaces of ochres, yellows and earth tones.

In this work, Tárrega uses precisely these elements to structure the foreground and generate a rhythmic succession of volumes.

The presence of a large cloudy sky visually expands the composition and provides the small format with a considerable sense of space.

The rigid panel support also favors direct and precise application of oil paint, especially evident in the vegetation, clouds and stooks.

The work is presented with a golden frame of classical taste, reaching overall dimensions of about 48 × 55 cm.


7. SHIPPING AND CONDITIONS

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

Packing will be done in a made-to-measure box with specific foam protections to ensure maximum security during transport.

We arrange national and international shipments through a professional company.

In certain destinations, especially outside the European Union, additional costs may arise from customs, taxes, documentation or export procedures, which will be borne by the buyer when appropriate.

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

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

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