46 - Catalan School, late 19th century.

Catalan School, late 19th century. "Seascape." Oil on canvas. Illegible signature in the lower section. Measurements: 40 x 75 cm; 61.5 x 96.5 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. A humble fishing boat rocks among the waves of a choppy sea, facing a cliff near the coast. The fishermen are busy with their nets, while seagulls fly around them, their wings skimming the water. The artist is primarily interested in capturing the atmosphere, seeking to convey the sensation of the waves’ turbulence and movement—with their shifting shades of green, edged with foam—and the uncertain light of an overcast sky, almost entirely covered by gray clouds. The artist proves himself to be a skilled draftsman, creating a classic and dramatic composition with the boat at the center, at the vanishing point, but the brushstrokes take center stage. Small, spontaneous brushstrokes suggest the foam of the waves, the seagulls flying low, the fishermen in the boat, and the play of light and shadow.