Josep Arrau i Barba

Last updated
Josep Arrau i Barba
Josep Arrau Barba - Self-portrait - Google Art Project.jpg
Josep Arrau i Barba, Self-portrait, 1837
Born4 May 1802
Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
Died2 January 1872
Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
NationalityCatalan
EducationJosep Arrau (father); Llotja School, Barcelona; Giuseppe Molteni, Milan
Known forPainter, art restorer, author and educator
Movement Romanticism
SpouseTeresa Roger (m. 1854)

Josep Arrau i Barba (4 May 1802 - 2 January 1872) was a Catalan painter, noted for his portraits. Described as an "intellectual artist," he was also a pioneer of a contemporary, multi-disciplinary approach to art conservation, and published a number of works on the subject as well as conducting workshops on restoration and conservation work.

Contents

Biography

He was born in Barcelona. His father, Josep Arrau i Estrada  [ ca ], was a noted painter and poet of the Campeny generation; [1] his grandfather and great-grandfather were sculptors. The French invasion of 1808 forced his parents to leave Barcelona and seek refuge in Reus, where he first displayed talent for drawing. They returned home in 1814 and, the following year, he began studying Latin at the Colegio Tridentino. Soon after, he received his first art lessons from his father, but they were ended after a short time by his father's premature death. [2]

Portrait of Fernando VII (1833) Arrau Ferran VII.jpg
Portrait of Fernando VII (1833)

He then continued his studies at the Escola de la Llotja and in the workshop of Joan Carles Anglès  [ ca ], where he studied architecture and geometry as well as the mechanics of painting. He was at la Llotja From 1819 to 1826, where he received several prizes at their exhibitions. During this time he occasionally took lessons from the sculptor, Damià Campeny. [3] Eager to learn all he could about everything that related to his art, he took a courses in anatomy at the College of Medicine; studied chemistry to understand the composition of paints and the processes of restoration and also took course in botany. [4] In 1829, the culmination of all this work was a professorship of drawing at the College of the Piarist Schools of Barcelona. [5]

La Albanesa (1845) Alabanesa.jpg
La Albanesa (1845)

In 1831, he visited Milan, where he took lessons from Giuseppe Molteni. [3] He began by copying Molteni's works, but was soon painting from nature and assisting with the restoration of several canvases. The following year he returned home, by way of France, and established his own studio in Barcelona, where he specialized in portraits. In 1835, he made a second trip to Italy with his good friend, the physicist, Joan Agell i Torrents  [ ca ]. While there, Agell studied electricity and Arrau produced a painting of the Convent of Santa Caterina and a portrait of his friend. [6]

His first commercial success came in 1833 with a portrait of King Fernando VII, dressed in the uniform of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which he researched in Madrid so he could render the details accurately. [7]

After 1834, he made several presentations at the "Real Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Barcelona", once again reflecting his eclectic interests; covering the history of art, natural sciences, the new daguerreotyping processes and Chevreul's work on the chemistry of dyes. Many of these were published as pamphlets. A particular area of interest was the subject of art conservation and restoration. He deplored restoration work carried out by inexperienced restorers and called for new restoration procedures to repair the mistakes that had been made in the past. He wrote a number of essays and conducted workshops in which he outlined advances in scientific research that could be applied to the restoration of paintings. As such, he was a pioneer of a multi-disciplinary approach to restoration and conservation. [8]

He became President of Real Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Barcelona in 1866. [1] As an educator, he had a very clear vision of all the disciplines that an aspiring artist needed to acquire. He was equally exacting in his vision for the training of art conservation methods. [9] He has been described as one "great intellectuals of his time." [10]

He married Teresa Roger in 1854 at the age of fifty-two and, in his later years, concentrated entirely on portraits. [3] He died in Barcelona, aged 69. After his death, his widow donated three artworks to the National Art Museum of Catalonia, in accordance with her husband's wishes. [11]

Work

Cloister in a Convent Claustro de un convento, de Josep Arrau (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando).jpg
Cloister in a Convent
Scene in a Spanish Prison Escena en una prision del siglo XVII, de Josep Arrau (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando).jpg
Scene in a Spanish Prison

Arrau was not only a prolific painter, but also a prolific writer. He published works on a diverse range of topics, and was one of the first artists to explore the possibilities of photography for artists. He also maintained personal journals in which he recorded his views on a variety of art subjects. These journals are now in the collection of the Archives of the City of Barcelona, where they have proved to be very useful to scholars investigating the early history of art conservation in 19th-century Spain. [12]

Select list of paintings

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lluís Domènech i Montaner</span> Catalan architect (1850–1923)

Lluís Domènech i Montaner was a Catalan architect who was very much involved in and influential for the Catalan Modernisme català, the Art Nouveau/Jugendstil movement. He was also a Catalan politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya</span> Art museum in Palau Nacional, Barcelona

The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, abbreviated as MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, near Pl Espanya, the museum is especially notable for its outstanding collection of romanesque church paintings, and for Catalan art and design from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including modernisme and noucentisme. The museum is housed in the Palau Nacional, a huge, Italian-style building dating to 1929. The Palau Nacional, which has housed the Museu d'Art de Catalunya since 1934, was declared a national museum in 1990 under the Museums Law passed by the Catalan Government. That same year, a thorough renovation process was launched to refurbish the site, based on plans drawn up by the architects Gae Aulenti and Enric Steegmann, who were later joined in the undertaking by Josep Benedito. The Oval Hall was reopened for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, and the various collections were installed and opened over the period from 1995 to 2004. The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya was officially inaugurated on 16 December 2004. It is one of the largest museums in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabrera de Mar</span> Municipality in Catalonia, Spain

Cabrera de Mar is a municipality of the comarca of Maresme in Catalonia, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje</span> Spanish painter

Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje was a Catalan and Spanish painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enric Sagnier</span> Spanish architect (1858–1931)

Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia was a Spanish architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Names of the Catalan language</span>

The first names, or glossonyms, of the Catalan/Valencian language formed in a dialectal relation with Latin, in which Catalan existed as a variety. These names already expressed the relationship between the two languages. New names that related Catalan to Rome came about to dignify the Catalan language in the thirteenth century, though Latinists called it vulgar and the people planus, or pla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Ràfols-Casamada</span> Spanish painter, poet and art teacher

Albert Ràfols-Casamada was a Spanish painter, poet and art teacher involved in the vanguard movements of his time. He is considered one of the most important, multifaceted Catalan artists of his time. His artwork began in the post-expressionist, figurative sphere but soon developed into his own abstract style grounded in a poetic rendering of everyday reality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Arranz-Bravo</span> Spanish Catalan painter (1941–2023)

Eduard Arranz Bravo was a Catalan Spanish painter.

<i>The Great Day of Girona</i> Painting by Ramon Martí Alsina

The Great Day of Girona, originally El gran dia de Girona, is a large oil painting by Ramon Martí Alsina depicting an important victory of Girona's defenders over the French during the Third Siege of Girona in 1809. Completed in 1864, it is the largest easel painting in the history of Catalan art. The creation process took more than 10 years and led the artist nearly to financially ruin on several occasions. The painting became part of the collection of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, and it is on permanent display in the Girona in an auditorium of the Catalan Government building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escola de la Llotja</span> Art school in Barcelona, Spain

The Escola de la Llotja, officially the Escola d'Arts i Oficis de Barcelona, is an art and design school located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The school took its name from its initial location in the Llotja de Mar palace; it was moved in 1967 to its current location at 17 Ciutat de Balaguer Street. The first director of the school was Valencian engraver Pedro Pascual Moles, who oriented the school towards academic art advocated by painter Anton Raphael Mengs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabadell Art Museum</span>

The Sabadell Art Museum or MAS is a museum specialised in Catalan painting from the 19th and 20th centuries and is located in Sabadell, the capital of El Vallès Occidental. It is part of the Barcelona Provincial Council Local Museum Network.

<i>The Spanish Wedding</i> Painting by Marià Fortuny

The Spanish Wedding or La Vicaría (1868–1870) is a masterwork by Marià Fortuny i Marsal, also known as Marià Fortuny or Mariano Fortuny. La Vicaría exemplifies genre painting of the 19th century. The use of jewel tones, contrasts between light and dark, and the virtuosity of the work attest to Fortuny's talent. It resides at Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquin Mir Trinxet</span> Spanish artist (1873–1940)

Joaquin Mir Trinxet or Joaquin Mir y Trinxet was a Catalan artist known for his use of color in his paintings. He lived through a turbulent time in the history of his native Barcelona. His paintings helped to define the Catalan art movement known as modernisme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rossend Nobas</span> Spanish sculptor and goldsmith

Rossend Nobas i Ballbé was a Catalan sculptor and goldsmith in the 19th century. Working mainly in Barcelona, Nobas's work is to be found around the city in both museums and public areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palau del Parlament de Catalunya</span> Arsenal (later palace) in Catalonia, Spain

The Palau del Parlament de Catalunya is the assembly hall of the Parliament of Catalonia, located in Barcelona. It was built between 1717 and 1727 as the arsenal of the Ciutadella, to designs of Jorge Próspero de Verboom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesc Fontbona</span> Spanish art historian, writer and exhibition curator

Francesc Fontbona de Vallescar is a Catalan art historian, writer, exhibition curator and specialist in Romanticism, Catalan Modernism and Noucentisme Arts. Fontbona is the author of many works of Catalan art history. Doctorate in Early modern period from the Universitat de Barcelona in 1987. He was director of Graphic section in National Library of Catalonia (1995-2013), and Chief executive-writer of art section in the Great Catalan Encyclopedia (1968–78). Francesc Fontbona is member of the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Saint George, member of The Hispanic Society of America, member of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans and President of Patronat Institut Amatller d'Art Hispànic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galeries Dalmau</span> Spanish art gallery operating from 1906 to 1930; best known for introducing avant-garde art to Spain

Galeries Dalmau was an art gallery in Barcelona, Spain, from 1906 to 1930. The gallery was founded and managed by the Symbolist painter and restorer Josep Dalmau i Rafel. The aim was to promote, import and export avant-garde artistic talent. Dalmau is credited for having launched avant-garde art in Spain.

Pau Rigalt i Fargas was a Catalan painter and scenographer. He was one of the pioneers of Neoclassicism in Catalonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Public Library of Barcelona</span> Special and heritage library in Barcelona

The Episcopal Public Library of Barcelona, also called the Episcopal Public Library of the Seminary of Barcelona is a library located in the building of the Conciliar Seminary of Barcelona. Founded in 1772, it is the oldest preserved public access library in the city of Barcelona, Spain. It houses a large collection of old and modern books, with about 360,000 volumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josep Maria Tamburini</span> Spanish painter and art critic (1856–1932)

Josep Maria Tamburini i Dalmau was a Catalan art critic and painter, in the Symbolist style.

References

  1. 1 2 Brief biography @ the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana
  2. ↑ Xarrié i Rovira, J.M., Restauració d'obres d'art a Catalunya: Quatre Generacions i un Noble Oficii: Conservació i Restauració del Patrimoni Cultural Moble (1892-2001), L'Abadia de Montserrat, 2002, pp. 22-23 (translated from Catalan).
  3. 1 2 3 Brief biography Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine @ Fernando Alcolea
  4. ↑ Carmona, J.R. (ed), Estudios de Platería, University of Murcia, 2003, p. 25 (translated from Spanish).
  5. ↑ Xarrié i Rovira, J.M., Restauració d'obres d'art a Catalunya: Quatre Generacions i un Noble Oficii: Conservació i Restauració del Patrimoni Cultural Moble (1892-2001), L'Abadia de Montserrat, 2002, p. 23.
  6. ↑ Butlletí dels Museus d'art de Barcelona, Volume 7, Junta de Museus, 1937, p. 336
  7. ↑ Fontbona, F., Neomedievalismes al Segle XIX: Lliçó Inaugural del Curs 1999-2000, Institut d'Estudis Catalans, 1999, p. 7 (translated from Catalan)
  8. ↑ Vicente, M.T., Santamarina, B. S., Santamarina, V., "De Cortesanos y Burgueses: Los Nacionalismos como Motor de la Conservación y Restauración," Ge-conservación, nº 2, 2011, pp. 99-111 (translated from Spanish).
  9. ↑ Xarrié i Rovira, J.M., Restauració d'obres d'art a Catalunya: Quatre Generacions i un Noble Oficii: Conservació i Restauració del Patrimoni Cultural Moble (1892-2001), L'Abadia de Montserrat, 2002, pp. 24-25.
  10. ↑ Xarrié i Rovira, J.M., Restauració d'obres d'art a Catalunya: Quatre Generacions i un Noble Oficii: Conservació i Restauració del Patrimoni Cultural Moble (1892-2001), L'Abadia de Montserrat, 2002, See p. 105 and 109.
  11. ↑ Bassegoda i Hugas, B. (ed), Col·leccionistes, col·leccions i museus: episodis de la històriadel patrimoni artístic de Catalunya, University of Barcelona Press, 2007, p. 45 (translated from Catalan)
  12. ↑ Vicente, M.T., Santamarina, B. S., Santamarina, V., "De Cortesanos y Burgueses: Los Nacionalismos como Motor de la Conservación y Restauración," Ge-conservación, nº 2, 2011, pp. 99-111.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.