68 - Spanish School, late 19th–early 20th century.

Spanish School, late 19th–early 20th century. "Landscape at Sunset." Oil on cardboard. In good condition. Shows minor losses of paint along the edges. Measurements: 14 × 21.5 cm; 20.5 × 28.5 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 freedom of execution and the prominence given to light effects bring this small work closer to the practice of landscape sketching done directly from life. The composition is built up with quick, impasto brushstrokes, particularly visible in the sky, where ochres, yellows, and grays render the evening light that draws the viewer’s attention to the scene. The landscape and the barely sketched buildings are rendered through masses of color and synthetic strokes, secondary to the study of the atmosphere. The small format and the immediacy of the execution reinforce its character as a pictorial study.