JOSEP LLOVERA BOFILL (Reus, Tarragona, 1846 -... Lot 36

JOSEP LLOVERA BOFILL (Reus, Tarragona, 1846 - 1896). "Two women". Watercolour and ink on paper. Signed and dedicated in the lower right-hand corner. Size: 61 x 46 cm; 111 x 95 cm (frame). Traditionally, Spanish painting and literature have been interested in popular customs and types. The arrival of romanticism enlivened this current, bringing to the Hispanic tradition the vision that foreigners had of our people, due to the snobbery of a Europeanising and liberal national bourgeoisie which, also due to foreign influence and under the romantic fashion, turned its eyes to the people and the monuments of the past. This, which was general throughout Spain, was particularly prevalent in Andalusia, as this land was the dream destination of foreigners, and where the influence of the vision they had of the Spaniards and their peculiar customs had to be felt most strongly. Thus, of the two main schools of genre painting, the Sevillian school is focused on a friendly, folkloric picturesqueness, far removed from any attempt at social criticism; the Madrid school, on the other hand, is more pungent and harsh, sometimes going so far as to show not only the vulgar, but even recreating heart-rending visions of a clichéd world of the slums, in which the spirit of criticism is evident. A painter, draughtsman and doctor of Pharmacy, Josep Llovera began his career as an illustrator under the pseudonym of "Mr. Petrequín" in publications such as "Un tros de paper", "L'Ase", "La campana de Gracia", "L'Esquella de la Torratxa", "La Ilustració Catalana", "Gil Blas" and others. In 1865 he published "Álbum humorístico". Thanks to the guidance of Mariano Fortuny, he also devoted himself to painting, focusing on popular scenes and types, which he depicted with finesse and elegance. He also worked in watercolour and etching. Josep Llovera is currently represented in the MACBA, the Municipal Museum of Reus, the Fine Arts Museum of Buenos Aires and the University of Barcelona, as well as in various private collections.