Modest Urgell was a disciple of Ramon Martí Alsina in Llotja and after the death of Lluís Rigalt, he was appointed professor of landscape at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona.

An inspiring teacher of other artists and an admired painter, he became a successful artist at a time when the showcase of art was group exhibitions. He participated in national and international exhibitions when the genre of landscape did not yet occupy a prominent place in award-winning works in major competitions, obtaining mentions and award-winning works at the Fine Arts exhibitions in Madrid, the Salons de Paris and Barcelona.

The painter made versions and variations of the same evocative landscapes, imbued with twilight and dreamy light. His works remained in a constant theme: marinas, village streets, ruins and cemeteries.

In his repertoire of open and static spaces we recognize winter, desolate landscapes, sunsets in lonely stillness, beaches with boats and lonely plains, or rural cemeteries with hermitages. It is in the use of the technique he used, usually oil painting with short, lumpy and fast brushstrokes, that the path to modernity lies.

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Oil on canvas

94x165 cm

Modest Urgell, 1839 - 1919