Santiago Rusiñol

Acquired by the great-uncle of the present owners by the 1970s

Barcelona, Sala Parés, 1915 (as Pati blau (Arenys de Munt))
Madrid, Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes, 1915 (as Patio azul (Arenys de Munt))

F. Galofre Oller, in Las Noticias, 22 January 1915
R. Ghiloni, in La Tribuna, 23 January 1915
Ilustració Catalana, XIII, 607, 24 January 1915, p. 75, illustrated (as Pati blau (Arenys de Munt))
J. de C., in La Correspondencia de España, circa 15 May 1915
La Ilustració Artística, XXXIV, no. 1745, 7 June 1915, p. 345, illustrated (as Patio azul)
L'Esquella de la Torratxa, 22 January 1915
Josep de C. Laplana, Santiago Rusiñol, el pintor, l'home, Abadía de Montserrat, 1995, no. 21.2.3, catalogued & illustrated
Josep de C. Laplana & Mercedes Palau-Ribes, La Pintura de Santiago Rusiñol. Catáleg Sistemátic, Barcelona, 2004, p. 209, no. 21.2.3, catalogued & illustrated

The canvas has not been lined and appears to be on its original stretcher. The surface impastos and textures are in beautiful original condition. Under ultra-violet light there are no signs of retouching visible. The varnish has slightly discoloured so if desired the painting could be cleaned to enhance its appearance. This work is in very good original condition. Held in an ornate dark-gilt frame, probably Spanish, with foliage and grape details at the corners and centre of the edges. Colours: there is a little more yellow overall in the painting than appears in the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1914, this rediscovered work is the third in a series of four views of this distinctive 'blue courtyard' that Rusiñol completed while staying in the home of his friend and publisher Antoni López in Arenys de Munt, the hill town in northern Catalonia. Versions one and two are in the Museo d'Art Modern, Barcelona, and the Generalitat de Catalunya, respectively; version four is in a private collection.

Rusiñol is best known for his paintings of the formal gardens of Spain. Fascinated by their architectural qualities, he regarded them, and interpreted them, as a series of rooms to be explored. In his series of The Blue Courtyard (Pati blau), the relationship is reversed: a room becomes a landscape. Depicted is an outdoor kitchen, painted in vivid blue, shaded from the sun by a verdant trelissed ceiling.  

As well as a painter, Rusiñol was a founding member of the avant-garde Els Quatre Gats group in Barcelona and an avid and polemical Modernist writer calling for the regeneration of the arts in Catalonia, from painting to literature. Interestingly, and not coincidentally, the title of the present work was also the title of one of Rusiñol's theatre plays, El pati blau of 1903. The stark lines and vibrant colours of the painting are perhaps symbolic of this new cultural departure.