Isidre Nonell i Monturiol (; es, Isidro Nonell y Monturiol; 30 November 1872 – 21 February 1911) was a Spanish artist known for his expressive portrayal of socially marginalized individuals in late 19th-century Barcelona.

Life

Isidre Nonell was born in 1872 in

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 ...

. His parents, Isidre Nonell i Torras de Arenys de Mar and Àngela Monturiol i Francàs of Barcelona, owned a small but prosperous factory which made soup noodles. Together with his childhood friend, Joaquim Mir, with whom he attended the same school in the neighborhood of Sant Pere in the old part of town in Barcelona, he developed artistic ambitions at an early age. His early teachers included Josep Mirabent, Gabriel Martínez Altés and Lluís Graner. From 1893 to 1895 he studied at the Escola de Belles Arts de Barcelona (Fine Arts School of Barcelona). He met Ricard Canals, Ramón Pichot, Juli Vallmitjana,

Adrià Gual Adrià Gual i Queralt (; Barcelona, 1872–1943) was a Catalonia, Catalan playwright and theatre businessman, founder of the Escola Catalana d'Art Dramàtic and a pioneer of Film, cinema in Barcelona. He founded El Teatre Íntim (The Intimate T ...

, and Joaquin Sunyer with whom he developed an interest in landscape painting, studying light. The study of sunlight and its effects on color were a main part of

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

, which was then active. They were called the "Saffron Group" for the warm tones they used, as well as the "Sant Martí Group" after the town they painted in. In 1894, he began producing illustrations for ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and i ...

''. He later drew for other periodicals, including ''

L'Esquella de la Torratxa ''L'Esquella de la Torratxa'' was an illustrated satirical weekly magazine, written in Catalan. Published in Barcelona between 1872 and 1939, it was well known for its pro-republican and anti-clerical stance and would become one of the most impo ...

'', '' Barcelona Cómica'', '' Pèl & Ploma'', and '. In 1896, Nonell went with Ricard Canals and Juli Vallmitjana to the spa town of Caldes de Boí in the Catalan

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

to work at the spa run by Vallmitjana's family. There, he saw a large number of people suffering from the illness of

cretinism Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome is a medical condition present at birth marked by impaired physical and mental development, due to insufficient thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) often caused by insufficient dietary iodine during pregnancy. It ...

, which became a subject of his paintings. In February 1897, he went to Paris with Ricard Canals. There he exhibited and shared a studio with Picasso. He returned to Barcelona in 1900. At the beginning of 1901, he made paintings of women, such as gypsy and working-class women, and still lifes. He exhibited in the Sala París in Barcelona twice, in 1902 and 1903. The reaction to his works of poor gypsy women was very hostile. He died of typhoid fever in Barcelona, aged 38.

His work

The oil paintings show the influence of

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

and pointillism expressed in a new way. Thick strokes layered one after another do not quite mix colors in the eye, leaving a directness of emotion. His subjects, most often women, were the overlooked and marginalized—poor women (often with children), gypsies, wounded soldiers repatriated from the Cuban war, and people suffering from

. Isidre_Nonell_1897_-_Un_captaire_a_París.jpg, Drawing ''Captaire a París'',1897 (Barcelona) Dolores - Isidre Nonell - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, Painting ''Dolores'', 1903 (Barcelona) Repòs - Isidre Nonell - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, ''Repòs'', 1904 Isidre_Nonell_1904_--_La_Paloma.jpg, Painting '', La Paloma'', 1904 (Barcelona) Cap de gitana 1904 - Isidre Nonell - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, ''Cap de gitana'', 1904 Isidre_Nonell_1908_-_Estudi.jpg, Painting ''Study'', 1908 Isidre_Nonell_1910_-_Natura_morta.jpg, Painting ''Still-Life'', 1910

References

Bibliography

* VV.AA.: ''Isidre Nonell (1872–1911)'', Editorial MNAC, Barcelona i Fundación Cultural Mapfre, Madrid 2000, * VV.AA.: ''Isidre Nonell'', Editorial Polígrafa, Barcelona 1996, * Fontbona, Francesc, ''Nonell'', Gent Nostra, Thor, Barcelona 1987. * Jardí, Enric: ''Nonell'', Editorial Polígrafa, Barcelona 1984, *Robinson, William H. et al,
Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudí, Miró, Dalí
'' Cleveland Museum of Art in association with Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2006.

External links

www.isidrenonell.cat

Catalogue raisonné A ''catalogue raisonné'' (or critical catalogue) is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media. The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified ...

Isidre Nonell on Google Arts & Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nonell, Isidre Post-impressionist painters Artists from Catalonia 19th-century Spanish painters 19th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists 1872 births 1911 deaths