28 - GODFREY MERRY (England, 1883–1915).

GODFREY MERRY (England, 1883–1915). “Mountain River.” Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower left corner. Patches on the canvas. Measurements: 41 x 56 cm; 64 x 79 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 artist places us before a sweeping panoramic view of a river. The water flows calmly between high banks covered with rocks, brush, and a few trees. The river begins in the foreground—where the artist places the viewer—and forms a straight line that extends into the distance, eventually disappearing where the river bends and gives way to the mountains that define the horizon. Above the mountains stretches a vast expanse of sky, crisscrossed by clouds that range from cottony white to a gray that seems to foreshadow an approaching storm. The artist depicts the contours of the landscape with precision and attention to detail, recreating each element and including anecdotal touches, such as the presence of a fisherman on the left bank of the river, who at first glance goes virtually unnoticed but adds a human touch to the composition. Despite the quality of the drawing, the painting’s greatest strength is undoubtedly its atmospheric rendering and, in particular, its treatment of light. The entire composition is tinged with a delicate silvery hue, a clear yet diffuse luminosity that lends the scene a sense of calm and serenity.