PAUL SIGNAC AND PAINTING IN FRANCE, BELGIUM AND SPAIN AROUND 1900
REGOYOS, Darío de (Ribadesella, 1857 – Barcelona, 1913)
The Almond Trees in Blossom
1905
Oil sobre canvas, 46 x 61 cm
Colección Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza
The Almond Trees in Blossom depicts a typical scene along the Spanish Mediterranean coast during the months of January or February, although the precise location is unknown.
As is common in Regoyos’ work, a human figure appears in the landscape, in this case acting as the focus of attention. It is unusual to find a landscape by the artist where there is no figure present. As an anecdotal motif, Regoyos includes a red parasol of the type often found in the Impressionist paintings of Monet and his close friend Camille Pissarro.
The composition of this picture, painted from the terrace of a house nearby, comprises the horizontal lines (of the river banks and the horizon) and the diagonal lines of the path, while between them the spaces are distributed to obtain a perfectly balanced whole. In addition, the artist applies his considerable knowledge of the Divisionist technique to obtain a green countryside filled which colour and variety through the precise use of the brush. This acts as a perfect contrast to the paths that have lost their surface of grass due to the frequent passing of carriages and people. Regoyos was particularly skilled at conveying the exact texture of this type of track.
The presence of almond trees in bloom indicates the type of climate and the Mediterranean area to which this work belongs. Regoyos uses the group of trees to hide what lies behind the wall, although not totally successfully, as the tops of some cypresses emerge from behind the group.
The whereabouts of this work was unknown until 1986, when it appeared at a public auction in France for the first time. The first owner has not yet been identified.
The paintings was only included in one exhibition during the artist’s lifetime, held in Brussels in 1906 on the occasion of the third Salon of the group “Les Indépendants”, directed by the Belgian René Deman. In addition to Regoyos, the following artists of the Nabis group took part: Maurice Denis, Édouard Vuillard and Ker Xavier Roussel, as well as the Pointillists Van Rysselberghe, Paul Signac, H. Edmond Cross and Maximilien Luce.
Regoyos would entitle his works on the back with his brush whenever he sent them to exhibitions and could not be present during the hanging. This made it easier for the gallery owner to identify the work and the price he was to ask for it in the case of a sale, as the paintings on show would be accompanied by a hand written list of titles and prices.
Juan San Nicolás
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