RAMÓN MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826 - 1894). "Female nude".1877. Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower margin. Attached to the back label of the Parés room in Barcelona. Measurements: 182 x 89 cm. In his female nudes, Martí Alsina was categorically anti-academic. He scrutinized the anatomical details with frankness and without any idealization, nevertheless managing to enhance the sensuality of the bodies. In this painting of generous dimensions, the woman occupies a large part of the frame, assuming real proportions. She turns her back to us while holding a towel in both hands, as if she were a free and casual version of Venus coming out of the bath. The fleshly body, with swaying hips, is masterfully modeled by the light. We see the sole of the foot with the heel raised and this subtle gesture imprints a soft movement to the whole body, making the lights and shadows play on the back and the shapely legs. Seated on cushions upholstered in silk and trimmings, a woman with swaying hips and turgid flesh takes on a sculptural presence, silhouetted against a dark background. She adopts a modest gesture that accentuates her attractiveness. She tilts her head and her black eyes give off a melancholic glow. The nude seems to be based on baroque models, but Martí Alsina counterbalances the carnal charge with an intimate look, inscribed in modernity. The silky qualities of the hair, the luminous modeling of the forms, the soft cushions, etc. bear the mark of a master. Considered today as the most important figure of Spanish realism, Martí Alsina is part of the European avant-garde of the time. He revolutionized the Spanish artistic panorama of the 19th century, was a pioneer in the study of life drawing and the creator of the modern Catalan school, as well as the master of a whole generation, with disciples of the importance of Vayreda, Urgell and Torrescassana. He began his studies in Philosophy and Literature, alternating them with night classes at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona until 1848. Once he finished this first apprenticeship and decided to take up painting, he took his first steps in the Maresme region, where he began to earn his living by painting naturalistic portraits and landscapes "à plen air". In 1852 he became a teacher of line drawing at the Escuela de la Lonja in Barcelona, and two years later he began to teach figure drawing, a post he held until the accession to the throne of Amadeo de Saboya. In 1853 he traveled to Paris, where he visited the Louvre and became familiar with the work of Horace Vernet, Eugène Delacroix and French romanticism. Later he would become acquainted with the work of Gustave Courbet, the greatest exponent of realism. In 1859 he was named corresponding academician of the Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi in Barcelona. His first important exhibition was the General Exhibition of Fine Arts in Barcelona in 1851. From that moment on he exhibited regularly in Barcelona, Madrid and Paris, and was invited to the Universal Exposition of the French capital in 1889. Among his prizes, the medals obtained in the National Exhibitions of Madrid stand out, third in 1858 with the work "Last day of Numancia" and second in 1860 with his landscape. In his last years he lived in seclusion, focusing his efforts on the search for new forms of expression, with a brushstroke close to impressionism. Among his themes we find numerous landscapes and seascapes, urban views (especially of Barcelona), portraits and human figures, genre scenes, temperamental female nudes, history painting and biblical scenes. On few occasions he dedicated himself to still life, although he also painted some of them. Works by Martí Alsina are kept in the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona, the Museum of the Abbey of Montserrat and the Museum of l'Empordà, in Figueras.