Ramón Casas Y Carbo

Lot Description Ramón Casas y Carbó (Spanish, 1866-1932) Tourism in the Spanish Countryside each signed with initials 'R.C.' (lower right) pencil, pen and ink on paper each: 5¼ x 8¼ in. (13.3 x 20.9 cm.) a set of five (5) Lot Condition Report I confirm that I have read this Important Notice and agree to its terms. View Condition Report Pre-Lot Text PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION View Lot Notes ›

Ramón Casas y Carbó (Spanish, 1866-1932) Tourism in the Spanish Countryside each signed with initials 'R.C.' (lower right) pencil, pen and ink on paper each: 5¼ x 8¼ in. (13.3 x 20.9 cm.) a set of five (5) PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION The present lot is an example of Ramon Casas' engagement with auca, a Catalan tradition of story telling with pictures. Popularized in the 19th century, auca usually consists of a series of sequential scenes, similar in structure to a comic strip, that may illustrate fables, humorous narratives or even historical events. Among the best examples of auca are those produced by Casas to illustrate the novel L'auca del senyor Esteve, written by the Barcelona artist Santiago Rusiñol. Published in 1907, after Ruisñol and Casas had both returned home from Paris, L'auca del senyor Esteve explores contemporary life in a Barcelona neighborhood. Casas' aucas also appeared in the avant-garde journals, Quatre gats and its successor Pèl i ploma, which were central publications of Barcelona's Modernisme movement.

Painted circa 1914, the present work is one of four paintings that together made up 'Las Cuatro Estaciones' (The Four Seasons). Renowned as a portraitist, painting the intellectual, economic and political elite of Barcelona, Paris, Madrid and beyond, 'Casas delighted the bourgeoisie with portraits that could be as fashionable or informal as the sitter required; and he delighted the general public with the boldness of his posters and (later) the joie de vivre of his decorations for Els Quatres Gats' (John Richardson, A Life of Picasso, Volume I, 1881-1906 , London, 1991, p. 115). Casas' portraits are of particular relevance in regard to his work as a poster artist. He began to engage in graphic design when he helped establish the artists' bar Els Quatre Gats, which was modelled on Le Chat Noir in Paris. But it was in his subsequent posters and postcards that he full developed the mere mannered art nouveau style which helped to define Catalan art movement known as Modernisme. During this period he was both influenced both by Toulouse Lautrec and the young Picasso. Casas' customary sitters were the Catalan bourgeoisie, mainly women. These portraits acquired a sensual and decorative purpose with the models depicted in vaguely suggestive and provocative stances. The sitter in the present work was Julia Peraire, a young artist's model 22 years Casas's junior. He first painted her in 1906, when she was 18, and she soon became his favourite model and his lover. They were eventually married in 1922. Casas painted numerous portraits of Julia in varied clothing and poses, though the present work is unusual being a full-length portrait. Julia is seen standing side on to the viewer though her glance is directly at us. Her stance is composed, yet in Casas's delicate treatment of her eyes she acquires a suggestive air. The soft brushstrokes used over the rest of the canvas draw our attention to the more finished details of the model's face highlighting the subtle sentiments of the work.

Pre-lot TextPROPERTY OF A MIDWEST ESTATE Lot Description Ramón Casas (Spanish, 1866-1932) A l'estiu tota cuca viu signed and dated 'R. Casas 86' (lower left) oil on canvas 29 x 25½ in. (73.7 x 64.8 cm.) Painted in 1886. Provenance Charles Deering, Chicago, acquired directly from the artist. thence by descent to the present owner. Literature Pèl & Ploma

Ramón Casas Carbó (Spanish, 1866-1932)
Carmencita, verano (Carmencita, summer)
Add. Notes: signed and dated 'R. Casas 912' (lower right) oil on canvas 32 x 25 5/8 in. (81.5 x 65 cm.) Painted in 1912. Literature
Notes: La obra de Ramón Casas es versátil en cuanto a técnica y temas, pero una de sus fuentes de inspiración más acertadas han sido los cuadros de "Manolas" que le inspiraron sus modelos Julia y Carmencita. En 1912, sin dejar de pintar a Julia, escoge una nueva modelo, Carmencita, una joven morena de grandes ojos oscuros, que fácilmente se identifica con la mujer española. La obra que presentamos, Verano, coincide con las chulas anteriores al utilizar el mismo mantón grana, pero en este caso el autor da preferencia al cuerpo de su modelo, situándola más alta en la composición, mostrando sus brazos y un generoso escote, en un paisaje exterior un tanto idealizado. El pintor quiere acentuar el inocente y sereno atractivo de su nueva modelo y por eso coloca en su pelo flores y le hace mantener, abierto, en su mano derecha, un abanico que centellea lleno de reflejos brillantes. The work of Ramón Casas is extremely varied in themes and technique. One of his main sources of inspiration for his painting of "Manolas" were his models Julia and Carmencita. Julia was his muse, wife and original source of inspiration, while in Carmencita, a young brunette with big dark eyes, whom Casas met in 1912, Casas saw the archetypal Spanish woman. The present work is similar to the confident women Casas had painted in the past. He uses the familiar traditional shawl but here prioritises the positioning of the model's body, placing her high in the canvas, showing her arms and generous cleavage, to create a bold composition set against a slightly idealised landscape. The artist has sought to accentuate the innocence and attractive serenity of his new model by placing flowers in her hair, and in her right hand an open fan which dazzles with reflections. The overall effect is to create a modern icon, who remains simultaneously firmly anchored to the past.
Pre-lot Text: The Property of a Private European Collection
Literature: Ilustració Catalana, 1913, p. 10 (illustrated). Alcolea Albero, 1990, p. 177 (illustrated). I. Coll, Ramón Casas, Catálogo Razonado, 2002, p. 392, no. 529 (illustrated).