60 - 19th-century Catalan school.

19th-century Catalan school. “Return from the Countryside.” Oil on panel. Measurements: 34 x 25 cm; 42 x 50 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. In this painting, the artist depicts a group of figures on a path. The painter meticulously organizes the composition, clearly separating the foreground from the background. Thus, we first encounter the path, which emerges from the very edge of the painting, guiding our gaze toward the depth that occupies the right side. On the left side, the space extends into the depth, bounded at the back by the mountains. The sky occupies relatively little space, with the focus centered on the ground plane.