Ramón Casas

Sala Parés, Barcelona
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1972

Barcelona, Sala Parés, Una exposición extraordinaria. Horas felices de la pintura catalana, 1972, no. 8, illustrated in the catalogue
Barcelona, Sala Parés, Homenatge a Ramón Casas 1866-1932 amb motiu del 50è aniversari de la seva mort, 1982, no. 12

Alfonso Alcolea Albero, Ramón Casas, Sabadell, 1990, p. 197, illustrated (with incorrect measurements)
Isabel Coll, Ramón Casas, Catálogo Razonado, Murcia, 2002, p. 270, no. 304, catalogued & illustrated

This work is in good overall condition and ready to hang. Original canvas. Under ultra-violet light two areas in part of the figure's left arm and drapery fluoresce green and these are likely attributable to the artist's pigments; there are some scattered minor strokes of retouching notably in the figure's left arm and in the lower right quadrant, and in the centre of the upper edge a 4cm vertical stroke. Some further retouchings may be obscured by the varnish, however these are likely to be minor. As visible in the catalogue illustration there are two minor circa 3-4cm diagonal scuffs near the left edge. Presented in a silver-gilt frame, with a cloth-covered inner slip and a nameplate.
"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 1898, the present work is one of Casas's most sophisticated portraits of the local chulas, a series of half or three-quarter length portraits of local girls of Madrid that he painted between 1896 and 1900 (fig. 1). Wearing folkloric dress - typically a head scarf with an ample shawl around their shoulders - in public the chulas had a penchant for walking with hands on hips, and were a very recognisable Madrid 'type' of the day. 

In the present three-quarter length painting Casas depicts the striking chula against a dark background, and in his sophisticated use of white, captures both the sitter's playful pose and the range of textural variations in the silk shawl, light fringe and formal skirt. 

Together with Rusiñol, Casas was one of the founding members of the Els Quatre Gats circle of artists in Barcelona, and a leading representative of the Catalan Modernista movement. Casas abandoned his studies when he was 11 years old in order to pursue his vocation as a painter. In 1882, aged sixteen, and with the financial support of his father, he travelled to Paris with Santiago Rusiñol. There he studied under Carolus Duran and at the Académie Gervex, where Eugène Carrière and Puvis de Chavannes taught. His talent did not go unnoticed, and just a year later he exhibited at the Salon des Champs Elysées. In 1900 Casas held a solo show at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, establishing him as the leading Catalan portrait painter of the day.