32 - A. GRAS (19th century).

A. GRAS (19th century). "Coastal Village with Fishing Boats." Oil on canvas. Signed “A. Gras” in the lower right corner. Measurements: 50 × 83 cm; 61 × 94 cm (frame). Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. The painting is part of the tradition of 19th-century European naturalist landscape painting, characterized by an interest in working-class settings and the depiction of everyday life. The treatment of light, the richness of the architectural textures, and the loose brushwork in the seascape areas reveal a sensibility closely aligned with the realist and luminist movements of the time. The scene thus combines a documentary interest in local architecture and customs with an evocative interpretation of the coastal landscape.