Catalan School (c.1930) - The old fountain and the dome of Salou

Technical sheet

Proposed Title: The Ancient Fountain and the Dome of Salou
Chronology: 1934 (date inscribed)
Technique: Oil on panel
Dimensions: 50 × 65 cm (without frame)
Marco: 60 × 75 cm. Magnificent Catalan frame from the 1930s, carved in gilded wood with relief vegetal ornamentation and rich original patina; it adds museum-like presence and emphasizes the historical character of the urban landscape.
Style: Late Noucentista-rooted Mediterranean landscaping.
Condition: Excellent, with authentic patina and a stable pictorial layer.

2. Compositional and iconographic description

The work presents an evocative urban landscape of Salou in the 1930s, where tradition and modernity coexist. In the foreground, the old fountain and trough stand out, with their curved wall in worn reddish tones, a true lesson in texture and architectural aging.

The perspective leads to the background, where the monumental pink dome of an emblematic building emerges, possibly a public facility from the era, elevated over a luminous esplanade.

The brushstrokes are firm, with a realistic character but imbued with an atmospheric lyricism typical of the Catalan landscape of the interwar period.

The warm Mediterranean light filters between the planes, uniting architecture, land, and sky. The presence of the earthy path opening to the right introduces a narrative reading: the transition between the historic core and the modern expansion of the municipality.

3. Style, Context, and Comparisons

The painting is part of the late noucentisme line and Mediterranean realism cultivated by Catalan artists such as Joaquim Mir, Xavier Nogués, or Feliu Elias, although with a more documentary and urban imprint.

The balance between rigorous observation and light sensitivity also recalls renowned landscape artists such as Juli Garreta or Francesc Labarta, who depicted the architectural transformation of coastal Catalonia.

The author achieves a work of strong historical value: a visual testimony of Salou before mass tourism, preserved with remarkable fidelity in its popular architecture, its dirt roads, and the isolated monumentality of the red-domed building.

An ideal painting for collectors of Catalan landscapes and lovers of vanished urban heritage.