Luis Graner y Arrufi

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has recently been restored and could be hung as is. The canvas has been lined. The paint layer may be very slightly dirty, and has been varnished and retouched. The retouches are visible under ultraviolet light in a diagonal mark on the forehead above the girl's right eye, entering into the bridge of the nose. The retouches here are not very accurate and could be improved. Other retouches are visible to the naked eye along the extreme right edge; the other edges are more or less free of retouching. In the upper right corner there are a couple of random retouches and there is a diagonal scratch in the upper right edge which has been retouched. Elsewhere there are a few small losses and marks which have received a small amount of retouching. There is a diagonal crease above and to the left of the young girl which has also received some retouching and there are some other incidental little marks in the upper tree trunks in the upper left quadrant which have also received some retouches. None of these appear to be tears except possibly this one area where a fairly significant restoration has occurred and this may represent a slightly more elaborate damage. The condition of the picture generally is very healthy. The lining is adequate but the retouches are poor and they attend only to the isolated losses here and there. Almost all of the retouches have been badly handled and can be improved.
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Maria showcases Luis Graner y Arrufi's remarkable ability to convey the effects of sunlight, here seen pouring through a forest canopy onto a young girl in a simple white dress. Graner was born in Barcelona in 1863 and at the age of twenty-three was awarded a scholarship from the Barcelona Provincial Council to study in Paris. The artist was drawn into the art circles of the thriving French capital, and he remained there for five years, exhibiting at the Paris Salon and winning numerous medals across Europe. Graner moved to the United States in 1910, and some of his earliest recorded works in America include paintings of the California coast. Between 1914 and 1922, Graner lived in New Orleans, and created many scenes of rural Louisiana. He ultimately moved to New York and opened a studio, creating images of the vibrant city's famous sites, including Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Hudson River. Graner finally returned to Barcelona later in life, where he died in May 1929.