At the age of 57, in 1915, he had his first solo exhibition at the Sala Dalmau in Barcelona. The profits from this exhibition afforded him the financial backing of a group of followers, by way of association and in exchange for works. From then onwards, and until his death, he was able to spend a number of periods on the Costa Brava, Mallorca and in the Conca de Barberà. The landscapes are the most abundant representations of his work. His personal work evolved into a very personal realist style, in which atmospheric elements and colour assumed great importance, especially light. He did so without adopting the formal aspects of impressionism, although his works were created in the open air. While he was painting in a cove on the Costa Brava, after three months living as a hermit in a fisherman’s hut, and in full connection with nature, he had to be taken away in an ambulance as he was suffering from malnutrition and a nephritic colic. Solitary and reserved, he never stopped painting.

Year 1917

Oil on canvas

70x100 cm

Francesc Gimeno, 1858 - 1927