Lluís Domingo Abelló (1917) - La costa

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent artwork by Domingo Abelló, depicting a colorful still life with a bouquet of flowers and a blue fountain full of fruits, evoking the beauty of nature, abundance and the harmony of everyday life. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it conveys.

· Frame dimensions: 71x82x4 cm.
· Unframed dimensions: 45x54 cm.
· Oil on panel signed by the artist in the upper left corner, Domingo Abelló.
· The piece is in good condition.
· The work is sold with a lovely frame (included in the auction as a gift).

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

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

The painting will be professionally wrapped 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 actual transport.
Shipping will be carried out by Correos, GLS or NACEX with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents a luminous coastal landscape where land, sea and sky meet under an intensely changing atmosphere. From an elevated slope covered with vegetation, the gaze opens to a wide expanse of blue water, traversed by light and dark bands suggesting the constant movement of the waves. In the distance, several rocky islets emerge on the horizon, while pine trees in the foreground accompany the coast and frame the scene with their green canopies. The composition immediately conveys the vigorous beauty of the Mediterranean coast, a territory where nature seems to show itself at once serene, wild and deeply alive.

The foreground is occupied by an irregular hillside covered with shrubs, grasses and small trees. The vegetation is distributed spontaneously, not forming a neatly arranged garden, reinforcing the natural character of the landscape. Dark greens, intense yellows, ochres, earth tones and small reddish nuances blend across the terrain, creating a rich and changing surface. This chromatic variety allows one to imagine vegetation exposed to sun, marine wind and the dryness typical of coastal areas.

At the bottom, grasses and shrubs form a dynamic band that draws the viewer into the scene. Some areas show yellowish and golden tones, as if the plants had been dried by the heat, while others retain deep and fresh greens. Among them appear small orange, brown and reddish notes that add warmth to the whole. The diversity of shapes and colors conveys a sense of abundant nature growing freely on rocky ground.

The pines in the foreground are one of the most characteristic elements of the landscape. Their slender, slightly inclined trunks rise from the slope to support rounded, dense and irregular canopies. Some appear in the central area, spaced apart, while others cluster toward the edges. Their presence immediately evokes the Mediterranean coasts, where these trees adapt to the wind and peek out to sea from cliffs and high ground.

The canopies of the pines combine numerous shades of green. In the most illuminated areas they appear yellowish-green and bright, while the interior parts darken toward deep blue and black. This alternation gives volume to the trees and suggests changing lighting filtered by the clouds. The rounded shapes of the canopies contrast with the horizontal lines of the sea and provide an organic rhythm to the composition.

On the left rises a taller, denser mass of vegetation, acting as a large natural frame. Several canopies overlap and form an irregular silhouette that moves across the sky and sea. Emerald and olive greens appear alongside very dark areas, creating notable depth. This group of trees concentrates a significant visual weight in the scene and guides the gaze toward the maritime opening to its right.

The hillside descends gradually toward the water and reveals rocky areas in cream, beige, ochre and gray tones. These light surfaces appear partly covered by vegetation, as if the stone emerged among the shrubs. The union between rocks and plants conveys a sense of rugged terrain shaped over years by wind, rain, and proximity to the sea. It is not a smooth coast, but a landscape full of gradients and nooks.

The contrast between vegetation and rock especially enriches the foreground. The dark, rounded forms of the pines stand out against the light ground, while yellow and orange patches soften the transition between the two elements. This alternation of warm and cool colors creates a sense of depth and allows distinguishing different planes within the hillside. Each tree seems to occupy a specific position in space, from the nearest specimens to those descending toward the coast.

The sea opens from the central area and occupies a large part of the composition. Its surface is built through a succession of horizontal bands in marine blues, turquoise, whites and grays. The darker bands suggest deep areas or moments shaded by clouds, while the light strokes evoke foam and light reflections. The water does not appear completely calm, but animated by a constant swell that adds energy to the whole scene.

The numerous white lines across the sea can be interpreted as crests of small waves pushed by the wind. Some extend over a long distance and others appear fragmented, creating an irregular rhythm. This repetition generates an attractive sense of movement and makes the surface seem to advance toward the coast. The sea thus gains a sonic presence, as if one could imagine the murmur of waves breaking against rocks.

The blues of the water show extraordinary variety. Near the horizon, deep and dark tones prevail, while in the closer areas turquoise, light blues and whitish reflections appear. This chromatic transition gives breadth to the landscape and reinforces the distance between the shore and the islets. The lighter areas seem to receive direct light from the sky, while others remain in fresh, dense shadows.

The line of the horizon divides the composition clearly, but not rigidly. Its path is interrupted by small rocky formations emerging in the distance and by color variations in the water. The horizon extends to both ends of the painting, conveying a sense of vastness and openness. In front of the dense vegetation of the foreground, this distant band offers rest and allows the gaze to wander into the maritime expanse.

In the center appear several low, irregular islets. Their brown, ochre and grayish tones contrast with the blue of the sea and make them reference points within the wide aquatic space. Some seem joined, while others separate slightly and leave narrow strips of water between them. Distance softens their contours and gives them a solitary, almost mysterious appearance.

These islets introduce depth and a possible narrative dimension. They seem to be uninhabited territories, exposed to the wind and surrounded by the incessant movement of the water. Their presence invites the imagination of small hidden coves, seabirds or boats navigating around their shores. Although they occupy a small area, they are essential to balance the composition and prevent the sea from appearing entirely empty.

The sky dominates the upper half of the work and is presented through a rich combination of blues, whites, grays, and soft violet hues. It does not appear as a uniform surface, but as a space traversed by large masses of clouds that seem to move quickly. Some areas are clear and bright, while others darken and suggest an approaching weather change. This variety gives the landscape a strong sense of immediacy.

The clouds are distributed in broad irregular shapes that overlap and open in different directions. Creamy whites coexist with bluish grays, blues, purples and small yellowish reflections. In certain points, the sky seems to clear and allow a bright light to pass; in others, the clouds accumulate and gain density. This alternation turns the sky into an active presence that influences all elements of the landscape.

The light seems to filter in a changing way between the clouds. Some treetops and areas of the terrain receive yellowish, luminous reflections, while others remain covered by greenish and bluish shadows. The same effect is perceived in the sea, where the light and dark bands appear to respond to the movement of the cloud masses. In this way, sky, water, and land are united by a common illumination.

The composition is organized by a balance between horizontal and vertical forms. The horizon, the waves, and the color bands of the sea provide stability and breadth, while the pine trunks introduce rising lines that connect the earth with the sky. The diagonals of the hillside guide the gaze from the nearest areas to the water. This combination avoids rigidity and makes the landscape dynamic without losing serenity.

Also notable is the contrast between proximity and distance. In the foreground, the vegetation appears abundant, intense and full of variations; in the distance, the sea, the islets and the horizon progressively simplify. This transition creates a convincing spatial sense and places the viewer on an elevated point of the coast. The scene seems to be observed from a natural lookout, perhaps at the edge of a path surrounded by pines.

The absence of human figures intensifies the contemplative character of the work. There are no houses, boats or buildings interrupting the dominance of nature. The landscape presents itself as a free, silent and secluded space, where only the wind, the movement of the water and the murmur of the trees seem to exist. This solitude is not sad, but deeply calm and restorative.

The painting conveys the sensation of a precise moment, marked by an unstable sky and changing light. One can imagine a windy morning after rain or an afternoon when clouds move quickly over the coastline. The agitated sea and the leaning canopies suggest a strong breeze. Yet, the scene retains natural harmony, as if each atmospheric change were part of the place’s balance.

The chromatic range establishes a powerful relationship between cool and warm colors. Blues, turquoise and grays dominate the sky and water, creating freshness and depth. Against them, the yellows, ochres, oranges and luminous greens of the land provide warmth and proximity. This opposition allows the coast to stand out with strength and the sea to preserve its immensity without losing visual richness.

Darker tones appear in strategic points, especially under the tree canopies, in certain bands of the water, and around the rocks. These deep areas structure the composition and make the light colors stand out. The whites of the sky and waves gain greater brightness thanks to their proximity to marine blues and dark greens. The result is an image full of contrasts, but unified by a coherent atmosphere.

The scene possesses a strongly marked Mediterranean character, recognizable in the coastal pines, the light-colored rock, the low vegetation and the intense blue of the sea. Without needing to identify a particular place, the landscape evokes coves and cliffs bathed by changing light. Its beauty does not depend on monumental architecture or human presence, but on the direct relationship between the natural elements.

The image invites slow contemplation of each of its zones. One can first rest the gaze on the nearby trees, then follow the descent of the hillside, move over the rippling bands of the sea and finally rest on the islets on the horizon. From there, it ascends toward the sky and travels again through the clouds before returning to the foreground. This circular trajectory makes the composition enveloping and continually renewed.

Beyond its descriptive nature, the landscape can be interpreted as a celebration of freedom and the permanence of nature. The sea represents openness, change and inexhaustibility; the pines express resilience and rootedness; the rocks symbolize stability; and the clouds remind us of the constant passage of time. All these elements coexist in a scene that conveys strength, serenity and a deep connection with the territory.

Overall, the work presents a wide view of the Mediterranean coast seen from a hillside covered with pines, shrubs and wild vegetation. The foreground, rich in greens, yellows, ochres and earth tones, leads to a blue sea traversed by numerous foam lines, while several rocky islets rise in the distance beneath a sky full of light and grayish clouds. The breadth of the horizon, the movement of the water, the protective presence of the trees and the changing luminosity of the sky create an atmosphere of freedom and contemplation. More than simply showing a coastal corner, the painting celebrates the power of the landscape, the beauty of the Mediterranean and the eternal harmony between land, sea and sky."