Apel·les Mestres i Oñós (28 October 1854,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

– 19 July 1936, Barcelona) was a Catalan writer, graphic artist, and illustrator.

Biography

His father, , was an architect who participated in numerous major project, including the demolition of the city walls. He attended a French secondary school, and studied at the Escola de la Llotja, where he showed a talent for

caricatures A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

. His teachers included Antoni Caba, Lluís Rigalt, Claudi Lorenzale and Ramon Martí Alsina. He made several extended visits to Switzerland with his friend, the journalist and playwright, , where he was influenced by Swiss federalism, the poetry of

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

, and the comic drawings of

Rodolphe Töpffer Rodolphe Töpffer ( ; ; 31 January 1799 – 8 June 1846) was a Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist. He is best known for his illustrated books (''littérature en estampes'', " graphic literature"), which are possibly ...

. He would later work for some of the most important magazines of that time; contributing comics, jokes, and headline designs. In 1885, he married Laura Radénez, a Parisian with some artistic talent. They had no children. Their home, a narrow apartment in the old part of town, with a garden of

hydrangea ''Hydrangea'' ( or ) is a genus of more than 70 species of Flowering plant, flowering plants native plant, native to Asia and the Americas. Hydrangea is also used as the common name for the genus; some (particularly ''Hydrangea macrophylla, H. m ...

s on the roof, became a meeting place for the creative community of Barcelona. He considered books to be a global art form, and was involved in every step of the process; including the paper, the cover and the binding. In 1912, he had to abandon drawing, due to a visual impairment. Two years later, he had become almost blind. He continued his creative activities however; improvising songs on the piano, then having them harmonized and written down by professional musicians. His songs have been recorded by many notable performers, including Conchita Badía. In 1915, he wrote a book of poems about

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, ''Flors de Sang'' (Flowers of Blood), which gained him several awards, including a Cross of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

, from the French government. Later, these poems would become very popular with Republican forces during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. He died shortly after it had begun. In 1938, a marble monument was dedicated to him, in a park at the foot of

Tibidabo Tibidabo () is a hill overlooking Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. At , it is the tallest hill in the Serra de Collserola. Rising sharply to the north-west, it has views over the city and the surrounding coastline. The summit of the hill is occupi ...

. A literary prize for illustrated children's books bears his name.

Sources

* Joan Armangué i Herrero, ''Obra primerenca d'Apel·les Mestres (1872-1886)'', Ed. Abadia de Montserrat, 2007 * Josep Maria Ainaud de Lasarte (Ed.), ''Apel·les Mestres (1854-1936). En el cinquantenari de la seva mort. 1936-1986'', Fundació Jaume I, 1985 * Mateu Avellaneda and Joana Escobedo (Eds.), ''La meva col·lecció Apel·les Mestres'', Biblioteca de Catalunya, 2005

External links

Personal papers and documents
@ the Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona
Collection of manuscripts
@ the

Biblioteca de Catalunya The Library of Catalonia (, ) is the Catalan national library, located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The primary mission of the Library of Catalonia is to collect, preserve, and spread Catalan bibliographic production and that related to the ...

Biography, works and other topics
@ the Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana {{DEFAULTSORT:Mestres, Apelles 1854 births 1936 deaths Artists from Catalonia Spanish illustrators Spanish editorial cartoonists Writers from Barcelona Poets from Catalonia