44 - English School, 19th century.

English School, 19th century. Mountain landscape. Oil on canvas. Measurements: 31 x 51 cm. 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 wide river occupies the foreground of the composition and draws the viewer’s gaze toward the background, where a high range of mountains serves as a backdrop. The calm waters of the river flow in meanders and bends that help create a sense of depth in the painting. The riverbanks are covered with vegetation, sometimes partially hidden by lush thickets and small groves of trees. The green tones of the vegetation have been skillfully combined with the earthy and gray tones of the mountains in the background and with the somewhat murky waters of the river. The painting is part of the long English landscape tradition, rooted in realism, yet one that always seeks to present nature’s gentlest—and at times even “tamed”—side.