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Modest Urgell i Inglada, also known by the nickname Katúfol (13 June 1839,
@ the Museo del Prado. During the 1860s, he attempted to show his works in exhibitions at the Escola, but they were rejected. He exhibited in Madrid, instead, but with very little success.Brief biography
@ the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. In 1868, he made a trip to Paris where he spent some time with
In 1870, there was a yellow fever outbreak in Barcelona, so he went to Olot, where he joined with Antoni Caba and a friend from the Escola, Joaquim Vayreda, to create landscapes en
ArtNet: More works by Urgell.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urgell, Modest 1839 births 1919 deaths 19th-century Spanish painters 19th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists Painters from Catalonia Spanish landscape painters Catalan dramatists and playwrights Spanish illustrators
Modest Urgell i Inglada, also known by the nickname Katúfol (13 June 1839, Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
- 3 April 1919, Barcelona) was a Spanish landscape painter and comic playwright. He used his nickname for cartoons and illustrations.
Biography
He was born to a wealthy family. In his youth, he was interested in the theater and participated in several amateur companies, but his family did not want him to associate with actors, so he agreed to study painting instead. He studied at theEscola de la Llotja
The Escola de la Llotja (, "Llotja School"; es, Escuela de la Lonja), officially the Escola d'Arts i Oficis de Barcelona (Barcelona Arts and Crafts School), is an art and design school located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The school took its ...
with Ramón Martí Alsina, Claudi Lorenzale and Lluís Rigalt.Brief biography@ the Museo del Prado. During the 1860s, he attempted to show his works in exhibitions at the Escola, but they were rejected. He exhibited in Madrid, instead, but with very little success.Brief biography
@ the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. In 1868, he made a trip to Paris where he spent some time with
Gustave Courbet
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( , , ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and ...
and was influenced by the Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of an art movement towards Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes its name ...
.
In 1870, there was a yellow fever outbreak in Barcelona, so he went to Olot, where he joined with Antoni Caba and a friend from the Escola, Joaquim Vayreda, to create landscapes en plein air
''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors.
This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...
. While there, he decided to devote himself exclusively to that genre.
After the creation of the Sala Parés
The Sala Parés is the oldest art gallery in Barcelona, Spain. Initially an art store, established in 1840 by Joan Parés, it slowly evolved into a gallery and formally became one in 1877.
History
Founded by the original store owner's son, , an ...
in 1877, he exhibited there regularly. His works also received positive critical attention at the National Exhibitions in 1876, 1892 and 1895, when he won first prize. He also won major awards at expositions in Barcelona, Munich, and Philadelphia. In 1894, following the death of Rigalt, he was appointed Professor of perspective and landscape at the . In 1900, together with Lluís Graner and Enric Galwey, he helped create the "Sociedad Artística y Literaria de Cataluña".
In the late 1890s, he returned to his early interest in the theater, working as a scenic director. He also wrote several plays; notably the comedy, ''Lluny dels Ulls, a Prop del Cor'' (Far from the Eyes, Near to the Heart), which premiered at the Teatre Principal in 1901. Most of his plays have rural settings. None of them were very successful.
His works consist almost entirely of landscapes and maritime scenes, often set in isolated places such as cemeteries and monasteries, but he created illustrations depicting the Tragic Week of 1909 and the Rif War
The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco.
Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several de ...
as well. His son, Ricardo Urgell Carreras, was also a painter.
References
Further reading
* Xavier Triadó Subirana, ''Grans Genis de l'Art a Catalunya, Urgell'', Editorial Ciro, 2008 . * ''Modest Urgell 1839-1919'', (exhibition catalog), Centre Cultural de la Fundació "La Caixa", 1992 .External links
ArtNet: More works by Urgell.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urgell, Modest 1839 births 1919 deaths 19th-century Spanish painters 19th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists Painters from Catalonia Spanish landscape painters Catalan dramatists and playwrights Spanish illustrators