114 - JOSÉ CASANOVA LUJÁN (Valencia, 1933–1989).

JOSÉ CASANOVA LUJÁN (Valencia, 1933–1989). “Beach at Dawn.” Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower left corner. Measurements: 38 x 55 cm; 52 x 69 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 Valencian painter José Casanova was born into a very humble family and had a difficult childhood due to the war. However, at just thirteen years old, he held his first exhibition at the Valencia Press Association Hall, with the city’s mayor attending the opening. He later enrolled in the San Carlos School of Fine Arts and combined his studies with work at Rafael Vañó Marqués’s restoration workshop, where he acquired solid technical training and a deep mastery of the craft. His successes began in the 1950s: he was awarded prizes twice at the Provincial Art Exhibition, winning second prize in 1952 and third prize the following year. He then began selling his paintings within his immediate circle, while also working as a fan decorator and commercial painter. Eventually, he would abandon all work other than easel painting, and in 1978 his work was recognized with the First Prize in Painting from the Cullera City Council. He exhibited frequently, always receiving critical and public acclaim, thanks to an eclectic body of work influenced by Romanticism, Impressionism, Realism, and Hyperrealism, with themes ranging from landscapes, mythology, and biblical subjects to historicist genre scenes, always giving free rein to his fertile imagination. Casanova developed a refined artistic language, characterized by exquisite figures and extraordinary plays of light, through which he depicted a romantic, placid world, now lost to the transience of modern times. Casanova’s work is currently represented in numerous institutional and private collections, both in Spain and abroad.