Ángel Ries (1943) - El valle

Pictura Galeria presenters this magnificent artwork belonging to Ángel Ries, which represents a luminous rural landscape with golden fields, traditional houses and abundant vegetation at the foot of a majestic mountain range, evoking serenity, rootedness and harmony with nature. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

· Dimensions of the work: 50x65x2 cm.
· Oil on canvas hand-signed by the artist in the lower right corner.
· The piece is in good conservation condition.

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the included photographs are an integral part of the lot description. Digital mockup representation; there may be differences from the actual article in color, scale and details.

The work will be professionally packaged by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to ensure its protection. The shipping price covers both the cost of professional packaging and the transport itself.
Shipping will be carried out by Correos or GLS with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents a wide and luminous rural landscape dominated by the majestic presence of a mountain range rising in the distance. In the foreground, expansive golden fields of strong chromatic intensity, while several traditional buildings appear scattered at the foot of the mountains, surrounded by trees, shrubs and abundant vegetation. The scene conveys the serenity of a clear day in the countryside and the deep harmony between nature, architecture and rural life.

The foreground is occupied by an extensive surface of yellows, ochres and golds that recalls a ripe cereal field or a sunlit meadow. This warm band fills the lower part of the composition and establishes from the first moment a welcoming atmosphere. Color variations, joined by the darker areas that cross the terrain, suggest slopes, furrows and small irregularities typical of a landscape worked over time.

Intense yellows possess an especially attractive luminosity and seem to collect all the power of summer light. In some points they approach the color of gold, while in others they mix with browns, muted greens and deep shadows. This diversity gives movement to the field and prevents the surface from appearing uniform, guiding the eye slowly across the terrain until reaching the buildings in the middle zone.

At the lower edge appears a narrow stripe of light vegetation, formed by small groups of wildflowers and plants. The whites, bluish greens and delicate yellow hues introduce a note of freshness against the field’s intensity. These flowers seem to grow spontaneously beside a path or a ditch and add an intimate dimension to the landscape, as if the viewer were looking at the scene from a nearby trail.

A dark line runs horizontally across the composition and separates the field from the cluster of houses. This area may resemble a small wall, a strip of damp earth, a canal or the natural boundary between plots. Its deep tone provides structure to the scene and creates a very marked contrast with the bright yellows surrounding it, reinforcing the sense of depth.

On the left side rises a rural building with a simple, robust appearance, partially hidden among the vegetation. Its yellow-green walls receive light with particular intensity, making it one of the main focal points. The dark, slanted and slightly irregular roof establishes a beautiful contrast with the clarity of the façade and conveys the feeling of a home integrated for many years in this environment.

The house is surrounded by shrubs, young trees and freely growing plants. Some bare branches rise beside the façade, while masses of various greens cover the lower area. Small white and yellow touches suggest flowers, illuminated leaves or light reflections among the vegetation, enriching this corner and giving it a particularly lively and endearing character.

Its slightly separate placement from the rest of the buildings adds narrative interest to the scene. It could be an old farmstead, an agricultural shed or a dwelling linked to nearby fields. Its presence invites imagining the daily life of those who inhabit or work in this place, marked by the rhythm of the seasons, field labor and the constant proximity of the mountains.

Towards the right, a small group of rural houses aligned along a sunlit strip of land appears. Their light façades, built with cream, beige, soft yellow and brown tones, stand out against the darker vegetation behind them. The warm-toned roofs directly receive the light and seem to shine under the blue sky.

The varying heights and orientations of the buildings add variety to the architectural ensemble. Some façades show small dark windows arranged simply, while others are partially hidden by neighboring structures. They do not form a dense urban core, but a quiet and open hamlet perfectly integrated into the landscape’s breadth.

Between the left-hand dwelling and the right-hand houses several tall, stylized trees rise. Their vertical crowns, formed by deep greens, bluish greens and yellowish greens, introduce an ascending rhythm that visually links the buildings with the distant mountains. These trees act as a natural barrier and provide shade, freshness and a sense of shelter to the small rural nucleus.

The mid-area vegetation is built from a rich succession of greens. Olive, emerald, moss green and yellowish-green tones appear, accompanied by bluish and brown shadows. The lighter areas suggest shrubs and sunlit canopies, while the darker tones indicate lush and protected areas, creating a vegetative surface full of volume and depth.

Behind the houses rises a large slope covered with forests and scrub. This green mass occupies a significant part of the composition and functions as a transition between the field’s horizontality and the mountains’ monumental presence. Its gentle slope guides the gaze toward the rocky peaks while wrapping the buildings and making them seem small before the vast natural expanse.

Above the slope a zone of yellow-green color stands out, diagonally advancing toward the mountain. This luminous stripe may evoke a meadow, a clearing among vegetation or a path that climbs higher. Its course adds dynamism and awakens the desire to explore the landscape, as if there were a hidden path capable of leading from the houses to the peaks.

The mountain range forms the great backdrop and one of the most impressive elements of the work. Its irregular profiles unfold from left to right with peaks, crests, vertical walls and rocky formations. Some mountains feature soft rounded slopes, while others rise with large, steep blocks, creating a varied and powerful silhouette against the sky.

The rocky areas combine grays, whites, muted greens, yellows and delicate pinkish nuances. The light tones highlight illuminated surfaces, while the deep gray and greenish tones define cracks, crevices and shadowed walls. This alternation allows perceiving the mountains’ rugged relief and gives them a solid, ancient, monumental presence.

In the central part a narrower, sharper peak stands out, breaking the continuity of neighboring elevations. Its profile directs the gaze upward and becomes a key visual axis. To its right appear large vertical massifs, like natural ramparts, whose light-colored walls dominate the horizon with calm and imposing strength.

The massifs on the right appear especially steep. Their flat and irregular summits, separated by deep vertical cuts, resemble fortresses raised by nature itself. The small greenish nuances visible among the rocks suggest the presence of high-altitude vegetation able to grow on slopes and in cracks.

On the far left, the mountains seem to recede progressively and acquire cooler and darker tones. This decrease in intensity helps create distance and extends the landscape beyond the visible limits. The mountain chain is not perceived as an isolated formation, but as part of a broad territory that continues beyond the composition.

The sky occupies a wide surface and envelopes the scene in a soft clarity. Predominate light blues with a slightly grayish tint, accompanied by white clouds of elongated and diffused shapes. Their breadth provides air and balance to the composition, preventing the mountains’ presence from feeling heavy and reinforcing the sense of a calm and bright day.

The clouds appear stretched horizontally and seem to drift slowly over the peaks. They do not announce a storm nor disturb the moment’s serenity, but soften the light and add depth to the celestial space. Some areas nearly merge with the blue, while others retain a white luminosity that dialogues with the lighter surfaces of the mountains.

The composition is organized through a balanced succession of planes. In the foreground appear the golden fields; then the vegetation and rural buildings; further back, the tree-covered slopes; and finally the mountains and the sky. This structure guides the gaze from the warm closeness of cultivated earth to the vast, fresh, elevated horizon.

One of the most attractive aspects of the work is the contrast between warm and cool colors. The yellows and ochres of the field and roofs convey light, prosperity and proximity, while the greens of the vegetation and the blues of the sky bring calm and freshness. The grays and whites of the mountain balance both groups and give solidity to the landscape.

The absence of human figures intensifies the sense of quiet and tranquility, although the houses and fields reveal a discreet human presence. The landscape does not appear abandoned, but inhabited in a respectful and harmonious way. The buildings seem to be a natural part of the territory, not competing with the mountains’ grandeur nor altering their character.

This relationship between the natural environment and rural life adds an emotional dimension to the work. The fields speak of work and seasonal change; the houses evoke home, refuge and continuity; the trees represent growth and protection; and the mountains convey permanence, strength and memory. All these elements come together to offer an idealized yet close view of rural life.

The scene seems to correspond to late summer or early autumn, when the fields acquire intensely golden tones and the light wraps the façades with special warmth. This possible seasonal transition adds a delicate sense of fullness to the landscape. The land seems prepared for harvest, while the vegetation still retains much of its vitality.

The landscape invites imagining the sounds and sensations of the place: the gentle motion of plants in the breeze, the distant birdsong, the rustle of leaves and the deep silence coming from the mountains. It can also evoke the scent of dry earth, mature fields and sun-warmed vegetation.

Beyond its descriptive character, the work can be interpreted as a celebration of rootedness and the relationship between people and their territory. The homes, small in the face of the mountain vastness, convey humility and belonging. They represent a way of life tied to the landscape, where generations follow each other while the peaks vigilantly overlook the valley.

The image possesses a serene and timeless beauty. It does not depict an extraordinary event, but the grandeur of an everyday environment viewed with attention and sensitivity. Precisely for this reason it is so evocative: it transforms a field, some houses and some mountains into a scene capable of awakening memories of trips, places of origin and landscapes associated with calm.

Overall, the work offers a luminous, warm and deeply evocative vision of a rural valley protected by an imposing mountain range. The golden fields, traditional houses, abundant vegetation, green slopes and rocky peaks form a balanced composition that conveys serenity, rootedness and harmony. The contrast between the illuminated earth and the elevated mountains turns the landscape into a celebration of nature and simple life, inviting the viewer to imagine walking its paths and enjoying the peace of this beautiful surroundings.