112 - FRANCISCO PAYÀ SANCHÍS (Valencia, 1892–1977).

FRANCISCO PAYÀ SANCHÍS (Valencia, 1892–1977). “Rural View.” Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower right corner. Measurements: 60 x 73 cm; 70.5 x 84 cm (frame). Born into a cultured family in Valencia, he began drawing at school while still a young boy. He received his artistic training at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in Valencia, where he won several special awards and a gold medal at the age of just sixteen. At the 1909 Valencia Regional Exhibition, he won two medals—one gold and one bronze—even before completing his studies. After a period working as a telegraph operator, his artistic calling resurfaced, and he moved to Madrid. There, he was appointed professor of Art History at the School of Arts and Crafts in Santiago de Compostela, where he was named secretary in 1925. He participated in the National Fine Arts Exhibitions and was awarded the Medal of Homage to the Monarchs. He was also appointed a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Historical Sciences. After settling in Almería, he founded the Provincial Archaeological Museum there. After the war, in 1940, he moved to Barcelona, where he worked until his retirement in 1962. In *Landscape with Houses*, the clear sky conveys a fresh mountain atmosphere that is palpable in every stroke of color. Equally admirable is the way he renders the reflective surface of the stream that runs parallel to the path.