Portrait of Vincent Nubiola
Encyclopedia
Portrait of Vincent Nubiola is an early oil painting by Spanish Catalan
artist Joan Miró
. Made in 1917 when Miró was 24 years old, a year before his first exhibition, the portrait is now considered a masterpiece from his early periods during which he experimented with a mixture of both Cubism
and Fauvism
. It is also said by some art critics to show the influence of the style of Van Gogh. Acquired for a time by Picasso, the painting is now in the permanent collection of the Folkwang Museum in Essen
(Germany).
and decided to study art. He met Vincent Nubiola whilst studying life art at Barcelona
's Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc
, a catholic-inspired art society in 1913. Nubiola was a professor of agriculture at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. At the art society Miro also met Joan Prats
, who became one of his lifelong friends and eventually helped Miró to build his foundation
. Miró painted the Nubiola portrait during 1917 and shortly after. It was included in one of his early exhibitions at the Galeria Dalmau in Barcelona
.
's early periods when he experimented with a mixture of both Cubism
and Fauvism
. At this time he made several landscapes and portrait
s, such as Portrait of Enric Cristòfol Ricart also from 1917 and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York. Several authors comment that this work could be influenced by the style of Van Gogh for whom Miró always felt admiration. The Nubiola portrait is signed Miró in the lower left margin.
The painting shows Nubiola sitting in a chair beside a table on which there are fruit, a wine decanter, and a potted plant. The flat backdrop behind the figure is decorated with triangles and arcs. The red of Nubiola's open collar shirt indicates his political radicalism; Miró painted himself wearing an identical shirt in a later self-portrait. This work was later acquired by Picasso.
(Germany), since 1966 when it was purchased from the Galerie Wilhelm Großhennig in Düsseldorf
. The purchase was made with the support from the state of North Rhine - Westphalia, the Westdeutsche Rundfunk, and it entered the museum with the registration number Inv. G 351.
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...
artist Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. Made in 1917 when Miró was 24 years old, a year before his first exhibition, the portrait is now considered a masterpiece from his early periods during which he experimented with a mixture of both Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
and Fauvism
Fauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
. It is also said by some art critics to show the influence of the style of Van Gogh. Acquired for a time by Picasso, the painting is now in the permanent collection of the Folkwang Museum in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
(Germany).
History
Miro (1893-1983) showed an early passion for art, and attended drawing classes while he was at primary school, but he had been heading for a career in banking when he had a nervous breakdownNervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and decided to study art. He met Vincent Nubiola whilst studying life art at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc
Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc
The Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc is an arts society which was founded in Barcelona in 1893 by Joan Llimona, Josep Llimona, Antoni Utrillo, Alexandre de Riquer, the city councillor Alexandre M...
, a catholic-inspired art society in 1913. Nubiola was a professor of agriculture at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. At the art society Miro also met Joan Prats
Joan Prats
Joan Prats was a Catalan art promoter and a close friend of Joan Miro-Life:Joan Prats was born in 1891 to a family who sold hats...
, who became one of his lifelong friends and eventually helped Miró to build his foundation
Fundació Joan Miró
The ' is a museum of modern art honoring Joan Miró and located on the hill called Montjuïc in Barcelona, Catalonia.-History:...
. Miró painted the Nubiola portrait during 1917 and shortly after. It was included in one of his early exhibitions at the Galeria Dalmau in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
Description
This is one of the masterpieces from one of MiróMiro
Miro may refer to:* Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, a reformist Iranian political organization* Prumnopitys ferruginea, an evergreen coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand.* Miro Technologies, an MRO supplier from California...
's early periods when he experimented with a mixture of both Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
and Fauvism
Fauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
. At this time he made several landscapes and portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s, such as Portrait of Enric Cristòfol Ricart also from 1917 and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York. Several authors comment that this work could be influenced by the style of Van Gogh for whom Miró always felt admiration. The Nubiola portrait is signed Miró in the lower left margin.
The painting shows Nubiola sitting in a chair beside a table on which there are fruit, a wine decanter, and a potted plant. The flat backdrop behind the figure is decorated with triangles and arcs. The red of Nubiola's open collar shirt indicates his political radicalism; Miró painted himself wearing an identical shirt in a later self-portrait. This work was later acquired by Picasso.
Provenance
This portrait has been in the permanent collection of the Folkwang Museum in EssenEssen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
(Germany), since 1966 when it was purchased from the Galerie Wilhelm Großhennig in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. The purchase was made with the support from the state of North Rhine - Westphalia, the Westdeutsche Rundfunk, and it entered the museum with the registration number Inv. G 351.