A frequent painter of the Symbolist environments of Paris, much of his work focused on symbolism, representing characters from mythology, fairies and nymphs with flowers, musical instruments, in idealized settings in gardens and near lakes or the sea.

Symbolism is a current of art at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, which imposed itself on the Western world that delved into visions of the inner world of artists. An initially elitist style, it conquered the general public for its beauty and became fashionable, so that painters such as Joan Brull who had started within conventional schemes in the mid-nineties would pour themselves into depicting nymphs in dreamy forests.

In full modernist immersion, his works are imbued with melancholy, nostalgia and tenderness. Along these lines, mythological and dreamlike characters, especially female ones, are becoming more and more important. For this reason, this work can be considered clearly symbolist and apart from the modernist guidelines and themes prevailing at the time.

 

Oil on canvas

69x53 cm

Joan Brull, 1863 - 1912