Catalan school (XX) - Rocks in the sun on the Costa Brava

Rocks in the sun on the Costa Brava

Technical sheet

Author: Catalan School (anonymous, first half of the 20th century)
Chronology: c. 1930–1945
Technique: Oil on panel
Measurements: 26 × 35 cm (artwork) · 40 × 49 cm (framed)
Support: Upholstered and reinforced board with original frame.
Style: Catalan luminist realism
Condition: Very good; firm pictorial material and uniform patina.

2. Compositional and iconographic description

The artist depicts a marine scene of cliffs and rocks bathed in Mediterranean light, probably in a corner of Costa Brava. The brushwork is loose, short, and vibrant, building the rocky volumes with touches of ochres, blues, and violets that capture the refraction of the sun on the granite.

In the foreground, the transparent water reflects green and turquoise hues, skillfully executed through precise inlays and subtle glazes. The composition, without human figures, focuses on the poetry of natural matter, where rock, sea, and light blend into an almost musical harmony.

3. Style, school, and comparatives

The work is part of the Catalan luminism of the interwar period, linked to painters such as Joaquim Mir, Rafael Durancamps, Ferran Llagostera, or Joan Roig i Soler, masters in the chromatic exaltation of the Mediterranean landscape. The use of color and impasto also recalls the seascapes of Modest Urgell and Eliseu Meifrèn, where nature takes on an intimate and contemplative strength.

Rocas al sol en la Costa Brava is an outstanding example of classic Catalan landscape painting, where light acts as the absolute protagonist. Its balance between realism and lyricism places it among the most representative works of Catalan marine painting from the first half of the 20th century.