Ricardo Tárrega Viladoms (1904-1999) - NO RESERVE - 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: Field of mowing with sheaves, trees and open horizon

Technique: Oil

Support: Panel

Dimensions of the work without the 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 with naturalistic roots, broad brushwork, luminous color and strong atmospheric interest

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

Elements depicted: Mown field, sheaves, trees, crops, open sky and background landscape

Frame: Classic golden frame included as a gift

Condition of the support: Panel appears stable at first glance, framed and protected by the subsequent mounting

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

Overall condition: Good for 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 represents a wide mowing field under a bright and very developed sky, in which the large cloud masses take on almost equal prominence to the landscape itself.

In the foreground several sheaves or bundles of grain are distributed across the terrain, formed by quick brushstrokes of ochres, yellows, earth tones and dark blues.

A large tree located slightly to the left of center acts as the visual axis of the composition, balanced by a second grouping of trees in the right-hand sector.

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 situated within 20th-century Spanish landscape painting with post-impressionist sensibility.

The artist builds the composition using large color masses and visible brushwork, avoiding excessively descriptive detail.

The foreground is treated with particular energy.

The sheaves 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 strong verticality within a fundamentally horizontal composition.

Its canopy is built with dense brushstrokes in greens, blues and turquoises, using chromatic contrasts to suggest volume rather than resorting to an academically strict modeling.

The sequence of distant fields is articulated by horizontal bands of different color.

This device allows 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 entire scene.

The overall finish is spontaneous, confident and chromatically intense.

The artist gives greater importance to visual impression, light and the vibrancy of the landscape than to a meticulous description of every element.

4. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ATMOSPHERIC DIMENSION

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

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

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

The field appears transformed by the mowing work, though the artist avoids any overly explicit narrative or provincial detail.

A contemplative perception of the territory predominates.

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 AUTHENTICATION

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

The signature is integrated directly 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 coherent with a post-impressionist sensibility, particularly visible in the use of an open brushwork, the intensity of color and the interest in capturing the luminous effects of the landscape.

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

6. OTHER INTERESTING DATA

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

The theme of mowing fields and sheaves 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, clouded sky visually expands the composition and gives the small format a considerable sense of space.

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

The work is presented with a classic golden frame, reaching overall dimensions of approximately 48 × 55 cm.

7. SHIPMENT AND CONDITIONS

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

Packaging will be carried out in a custom-made box with foam-specific protections to ensure maximum safety during transport.

We perform national and international shipments through a professional company.

In certain destinations, especially outside the European Union, there may be additional costs arising from customs, taxes, documentation or export formalities, 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 the subject of a complaint.

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