84 - English School, 19th century.

English School, 19th century. Rural landscape. Oil on panel. Measurements: 29 x 44 cm; 36.5 x 51.5 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. The English countryside takes center stage in this panoramic view. On the right, the painter has placed a row of trees that define the depth of the landscape, lining a winding path. The left side of the composition is occupied by a vast field, beyond which lie wide plains dotted with trees and shrubs. The painter is deeply rooted in the long English pictorial tradition, employing a realistic style that nonetheless slightly idealizes nature to present its most gentle and humanized side. The technique is light and loose, with free, impasto brushstrokes that outline forms without explicitly drawing them. Warm tones predominate in the color palette, with the reddish and ochre hues of ripe wheat skillfully contrasted with the grays and greens of the trees.