Lluís Marsans
Encyclopedia
Lluís Marsans i Julià is a Catalan
painter. He grew up in Paris
, and in 1947 traveled to Mexico and the United States. He studied painting in Barcelona in 1948–50. In 1966–70 he explored the world of Marcel Proust
's work In Search of Lost Time
in a suite of drawings which he exhibited at Trece Gallery in Barcelona in 1972. In 1980 he had a solo exhibition at Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. In 1985 he was included in the group show Representation Abroad at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
in Washington, D.C.
Marsans has painted many still-lifes and landscapes, usually in small formats and using mixed techniques. In 1985, John Ashbery
wrote that Marsans' works "suggest nineteenth-century American trompe-l'oeil painting. Steeped in the light of memory, a Coke can and a Bic lighter become votive objects..." Described as a realist, Marsans says of his relationship to realism: "One cannot paint what one sees.... One can only paint what one remembers.... It [realism] is the identification with some realities from the past".
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
painter. He grew up in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and in 1947 traveled to Mexico and the United States. He studied painting in Barcelona in 1948–50. In 1966–70 he explored the world of Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
's work In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past is a novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust. His most prominent work, it is popularly known for its considerable length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the "episode of the madeleine." The novel is widely...
in a suite of drawings which he exhibited at Trece Gallery in Barcelona in 1972. In 1980 he had a solo exhibition at Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris. In 1985 he was included in the group show Representation Abroad at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Marsans has painted many still-lifes and landscapes, usually in small formats and using mixed techniques. In 1985, John Ashbery
John Ashbery
John Lawrence Ashbery is an American poet. He has published more than twenty volumes of poetry and won nearly every major American award for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But Ashbery's work still proves controversial...
wrote that Marsans' works "suggest nineteenth-century American trompe-l'oeil painting. Steeped in the light of memory, a Coke can and a Bic lighter become votive objects..." Described as a realist, Marsans says of his relationship to realism: "One cannot paint what one sees.... One can only paint what one remembers.... It [realism] is the identification with some realities from the past".