Juan Ramis Cladera (1927) - Morning light in the Retiro Park

Morning light in Retiro

Technical sheet

Author: Juan Ramis Cladera (1927)
Chronology: Second half of the 20th century
Technique: oil on canvas
Measurements: 50 × 65 cm
Support: Canvas stretched over a wooden frame.
Contemporary landscape realism with an academic accent.
Condition: Excellent; clean pictorial surface and vibrant chromaticism.

2. Compositional and iconographic description

The work depicts a luminous view of Madrid's Retiro Park, centered on a neoclassical sculpture surrounded by the greenery of the garden and framed by a curved path that guides the viewer into the composition. Ramis Cladera demonstrates impeccable mastery in handling natural light, where morning rays pass through the treetops, creating a harmonious play of shadows and reflections.

The balance between the statue and the grove grants the whole a classical serenity, reinforced by the precision of the drawing and the purity of the color. The brushstroke is controlled, smooth, and sharp, typical of a painter with academic training and a contemplative gaze.

3. Style, school, and comparatives

The painting is part of the Spanish realism tradition of the mid-20th century, close to the sensibility of Ramón Stolz Viciano, Antonio López García, and Francisco Ribera Gómez, due to its attention to light and fidelity to urban motifs.

Ramis Cladera, native of Mallorca, was able to bring Mediterranean clarity and a refined technique to the Madrid landscape, revealing his solid academic background.

‘Morning light in the Retiro’ is a work of great plastic balance and visual serenity, where technical mastery combines with a poetics of calm and urban order. Its elegant composition and silent atmosphere make it a painting of high aesthetic value within contemporary Spanish realism.