Francesc Carbonell Massabé (1928) - Street of light in Peñíscola

Street Bañada de Luz in Peñíscola

Francesc Carbonell Massabé, 1928

Technical sheet

Author: Francesc Carbonell Massabé (born in 1928)
Light-bathed street in Peñíscola
Timeline: c. 1970–1985
Technique: oil on canvas
Measurements: 35 × 27 cm (artwork) · 48 × 40 cm (framed)
Support: Canvas stretched over an original frame.
Marco: Elegant multi-layered frame with three levels, combining aged gold leaf, a distressed ivory inner band, and a black border.
Conservation status: Excellent, with a stable pictorial film and no significant alterations.
Provenance: Private collection.

2. Compositional and iconographic description

The work presents a luminous and steep street in Peñíscola, identified by the handwritten inscription on the back. Carbonell Massabé masterfully captures the Mediterranean atmosphere, where the vibration of the light is the absolute protagonist. The white houses, marked by broken and impasto brushstrokes, act as reflective screens of the intense blue of the sky.

First, the pink bougainvillea, rendered with lively and impressionist touches, introduces a chromatic counterpoint that balances the composition. Two figures—a grown-up and a girl—walk up the street, adding a human scale and an intimate narrative sense. The large clay pot on the right, next to the shadowed flowerpots, anchors the composition and enhances the feeling of Mediterranean everyday life.

The light palette, high luminance values, and agile brushwork reveal the combined influence of Catalan Post-Impressionism and the luminist school, connecting its style with renowned artists such as Martí i Alsina, Mir, Meifrén, and even with genre scenes by Sorolla, although interpreted from a more intimate and modern sensibility.

3. STYLE, CONTEXT AND EVALUATION

Carbonell Massabé is one of the most recognized contemporary Catalan painters for his treatment of light and his urban and marine scenes. This work is an outstanding example of his Mediterranean period, where he masters the construction of space through masses of color and a vibrant brushstroke that suggests form rather than describing it.

His approach recalls the great masters of Levantine luminism, with a fluidity that alludes to outdoor work and the immediacy of direct observation. The composition is balanced, with a clear atmosphere and an emotional sensitivity that transforms the scene into a small visual poem.

Due to its quality, preservation, theme, and authorship, we are looking at a very representative piece by Carbonell Massabé, excellent for collectors of modern Catalan painting and for spaces where light, serenity, and an authentic evocation of the Mediterranean are sought.