Lluïsa Vidal i Puig (

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 ...

, 2 April 1876 – 22 October 1918) was a

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. Raised in a well-off family closely related to

Catalan modernist ''Modernisme'' (, Catalan for "modernism"), also known as Catalan modernism and Catalan art nouveau, is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the search of a new entitlement of Catalan cultur ...

circles, she is known as the only professional women painter of Catalan modernism, and one of the few women of that period who went abroad to receive art lessons.

Biography

Born in the number 13 of Barcelona's Trafalgar street, Lluïsa Vidal was the second of 12 siblings (nine girls and two boys): one of her sisters became associated with

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

, and another one became the wife of the philologist and writer

Manuel de Montoliu Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944), is an American former professional baseball playe ...

. Her father, Francesc Vidal i Jevellí, was a

cabinetmaker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

, set designer, and a foundry worker interested in art and business. Lluïsa grew up in an encouraging environment for artistic creations. She received her first lessons from her father, and also from Joan González ( Julio González's brother),

Arcadi Mas i Fondevila Arcadi Mas i Fondevila, or Fontdevila (12 November 1852 in Barcelona – 31 January 1934 in Sitges), was a Catalan painter and graphic artist. Biography He was the son of a tailor. His father recognized his artistic talent at an early age ...

and

Simó Gómez Simó Gómez Polo (11 November 1845 – 11 June 1880) was a Catalonia, Catalan painter and engraver in the Realism (art), Realist style. Biography He was born in Barcelona, and studied at the Escola de la Llotja under Ramón Martí Alsina a ...

. While in Paris, she attended

Eugène Carrière Eugène Anatole Carrière (16 January 1849 – 27 March 1906) was a French Symbolist artist of the fin-de-siècle period. Carrière's paintings are best known for their near-monochrome brown palette and their ethereal, dreamlike quality. He ...

's lessons, and she was especially influenced by artists such as

Santiago Rusiñol Santiago Rusiñol i Prats (, ; Barcelona 25 February 1861 – Aranjuez 13 June 1931) was a Spanish painter, poet, journalist, collector and playwright. He was one of the leaders of the Catalan '' modernisme'' movement. He created more than ...

(composition resources) and

Ramon Casas Ramon Casas i Carbó (; 4 January 1866 – 29 February 1932) was a Catalan artist. Living through a turbulent time in the history of his native Barcelona, he was known as a portraitist, sketching and painting the intellectual, economic, an ...

(portraits). When she was 16 she visited

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

with her father and went for the first time to

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...

, where she discovered Spanish masters such as

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and en ...

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of the ...

and realised the economic value of a good portraitist., p. 75 Her professional career started in 1898, when she was 22 and held her first exhibition at Quatre Gats in Barcelona. It was her first exhibition, and she became the first and only woman to hold an exhibition there, though some researchers doubt she even held an exhibition there in her early years,, p. 107 as in the early stages of her career she was closely controlled by her father, who was more prone to less bohemian environments than that of Quatre Gats. In April 1898 she exhibited three portraits at the 4th Exhibition of Fine Arts and Artistic Industries in Barcelona. This exhibition held over 2,000 works, some by

, Joan Brull,

Joaquim Mir Joaquin Mir Trinxet or Joaquin Mir y Trinxet ( Catalan: ''Joaquim Mir i Trinxet'') ( Barcelona 6 January 1873 – 8 April 1940) was a Catalan artist known for his use of color in his paintings. He lived through a turbulent time in the history ...

Ramon Pichot Ramon Pichot Gironès (; 1871 – 1 March 1925) was a Catalan and Spanish artist. He painted in an impressionist style. He was a good friend of Pablo Picasso and an early mentor to young Salvador Dalí. Dalí met Pichot in Cadaqués, Spain, w ...

and

. She received an honorific mention for one of her portraits, which depicted a priest named Collell. A brief review published in ''

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 ...

'' mentioned Vidal as one of the best participants, stating that a portrait about a girl in

Sitges Sitges (, , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival, and LGBT Culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nightspot ...

was so simple and suggestive that could be envied by other male portrait painters. Another review, published in ''

Diari de Barcelona The ''Diario de Barcelona'' (catalán: ''Diari de Barcelona'') (The Barcelona Journal) was a newspaper founded in 1792 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With a few interruptions it was published in paper form until 1994, and in digital form until ...

'' stated that her portraits were so remarkable that those artworks were recommended as an outstanding example of her abilities. In November 1898 she held her first exhibition at

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 ...

, with the help of her father and Mas i Fondevila.

In Paris

Vidal left for Paris in 1901. She received her first lessons there from

Henri-Léopold Lévy Henri-Léopold Lévy (23 September 1840, Nancy - 29 December 1904, Paris) was a French painter of Jewish ancestry, known primarily for mythological and Biblical subjects. Biography He was the son of an interior decorator and embroidery manufac ...

, a republican and academicist painter, but she soon enrolled at

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the numbe ...

, whose women's section was commanded by

Amélie Beaury-Saurel Amélie Beaury-Saurel (1849 – May 30, 1924) was a French painter noted for portraiture. Life and career Born in Barcelona as Amélie Beaury, she added "Saurel" to her name in recognition of her mother's family who could trace their lineag ...

, Julian's wife and former student of the academy, also born in Barcelona. She soon abandoned the academy, disappointed, and after a short trip to England in 1902 she attended

Georges Picard Georges Gabriel Picard (23 December 1857, Remiremont - 25 January 1943, Yzeures-sur-Creuse) was a French painter, decorative artist, and illustrator, of Jewish ancestry. Some sources give his year of death as 1946. Biography His father, Abrah ...

and

's lessons at

Georges Humbert Marie Georges Humbert (7 January 1859 Paris, France – 22 January 1921 Paris, France) was a French mathematician who worked on Kummer surfaces and the Appell–Humbert theorem and introduced Humbert surfaces. His son was the mathematician Pierr ...

's academy. While in Paris she learned about the

feminist movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such i ...

and '' La Fronde'', a newspaper published only by women since 1897. She also attended conferences and visited museums, and became more independent and self-confident about her art. She came back to Barcelona in 1902, as three of her sisters were ill, another one was abroad and the family was undergoing economic difficulties.

Back to Barcelona

Vidal went back to Barcelona with a lot of finished artworks and a feminist mentality. She met

Carmen Karr Carme Karr i Alfonsetti (Spanish, Carmen Karr; Barcelona, 16 March 1865 – 29 December 1943) was a Spanish Catalan feminist, journalist, writer, musicologist and song-composer. Karr was one of the most ardent Catalan feminists of the early 20t ...

Dolors Monserdà Dolors Monserdà i Vidal (née, Dolors Moncerdà i Vidal; also known as, Dolors Monserdà de Macià; Barcelona, 1845 - 1919) was a Catalan writer, poet, storyteller, playwright, essayist, and columnist. She was the sister of the painter Enric Mons ...

and

Francesca Bonnemaison Francesca Bonnemaison i Farriols (12 April 1872 – 1949) was a Spanish Catalan educator and promoter of female education in Catalonia. She established Biblioteca Popular de la Dona (lit. Popular Library of Women), first library exclusively f ...

, and started preparing several exhibitions. '' Pèl & Ploma'' magazine published several of her artworks, and she held an exhibition again at

. On the other hand, while her family life was crumbling she reached the best stages of her artistic life, becoming the illustrator of '' Feminal'' magazine and holding several exhibitions in Madrid and Barcelona. She also started giving private painting lessons in 1908 so as to earn more money to sustain her family, and in 1911 she opened her own academy, placed in

Isidre Nonell 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 Non ...

's ancient studio. Autoretrat Lluïsa Vidal, Carbó sobre paper

Vidal became especially committed during Tragic Week, when she joined the Women's Popular Library and the Culture Institute, a project devised by Francesca Bonnemaison in 1909 so as to help single, working-class women to get an education. She also became a pacifist activist during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, when she joined the organisation of the Feminist Pacifist Committee. In 1914 she held a renowned exhibition at Sala Parés, and Barcelona's press qualified her as a "distinguished woman" and "celebrated artist", which Carmen Karr (aka Joana Romeu in ''Feminal'') found deeply annoying. Vidal died of the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

in 1918. She wrote her will on October 12 and left all her belongings to her single sisters. She did not state her profession, as that information was not needed in Spanish documents of that period.

Work

Vidal has been considered a

Catalan modernism ''Modernisme'' (, Catalan for "modernism"), also known as Catalan modernism and Catalan art nouveau, is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the search of a new entitlement of Catalan culture ...

painter, based on the chosen themes, the colour tones and luminous transparencies used. With Joaquim Mir, Oriol Junyent, Joan González,

Xavier Gosé Xavier Gosé i Rovira (1876, Alcalá de Henares – 16 March 1915, Lleida) was a Catalan painter and illustrator who worked in the Art Nouveau and Art Déco styles. Biography His father was an agronomist and died when Xavier was only four years ...

, R. Canals and

, Vidal has been considered as a member of the second Catalan modernism generation. Even some of her works had been attributed to

, as both artists show the influence of

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and mor ...

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading p ...

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bor ...

Portraits

Frederic Vidal, 1895.jpg, Frederic Vidal, the artist's brother, 1895 Maria Luisa Güell i López, 1900.jpg, Maria Luisa Güell i López, 1900 (Barcelona) Retrat de Marta Vidal Puig - Lluïsa Vidal - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, Marta Vidal, the artist's sister Marcel Montoliu i Vidal, nebot de Lluïsa Vidal.jpg, Marcel Montoliu, the artist's nephew Carlota Vidal, 1903.jpg, Carlota Vidal, 1903 Sense títol, c. 1903-1905.jpg, Title unknown, c. 1903 – 1905 Ricard Canals, c. 1907-1918.jpg, Ricard Canals, c. 1907 – 1908 Francisca Vidal, 1909.jpg, Francisca Vidal, 1909

Genre scenes

File:Sense títol, c. 1890-1900.jpg, Unknown title, c. 1890 – 1900 File:Maternitat.jpg, Maternity, c. 1897 File:Sense títol,c. 1903, sanguina sobre paper.jpg, Title unknown, c. 1903 File:Les mestresses de casa, 1905.jpg, Housewives, 1905 File:Tornant de misa, c. 1909-1918.jpg, Back from mass, c. 1909 – 1918 File:Primera comunió, c. 1909-1918.jpg, First communion, c. 1909 – 1918 File:Pau Casals i Enric Granados, c. 1911-1914.jpg,

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

and

Enric Granados Pantaleón Enrique Joaquín Granados y Campiña (27 July 1867 – 24 March 1916), commonly known as Enric Granados in Catalan or Enrique Granados in Spanish, was a composer of classical music, and concert pianist from Catalonia, Spain. ...

, c. 1911.1914 File:Concert d'Enric Granados al Liceu, c. 1911-1912.jpg,

's concert, c. 1911 – 1912

Drawings

File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal. Nu.png, Nude, published in ''Feminal'' File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal de uns nens amb gatets.png, Young boys with kittens. ''Pèl & Ploma'', 1903 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal. Nena dibuixant.png, Girl drawing. ''Pèl & Ploma'', 1903 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal. Nens.png, Boys. ''Feminal'', 1908 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal de la senyoreta Muntadas fem maig1909.png, Miss Muntadas. ''Feminal'', 1909 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal de Dolors Monserdà.png,

, ''Feminal'', 1914 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal d'Agnès Armengol.png, Agnès Armengol. ''Feminal'', 1914 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal de Carme de Castellvi.png, Carme Castellví. ''Feminal'', 1914 File:Sanguina de Lluïsa Vidal de Marguerida Xirgú.png,

Margarida Xirgu Margarita Xirgu Subirá (18 June 1888, Molins de Rei, Barcelona, Spain – 25 April 1969, Montevideo, Uruguay), also Margarida Xirgu, was a Spanish stage actress, who was greatly popular throughout her country and Latin America. A frie ...

. ''Feminal'', 1914

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

''Feminal'' magazine, where many of her works had been publishedArticle on ''Feminal'' about an exhibition by Lluïsa Vidal in 1914Lluïsa Vidal. Painted like a man, disappeared like a woman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal, Lluisa 1876 births 1918 deaths Women artists from Catalonia Deaths from Spanish flu Painters from Barcelona Spanish women painters Modernisme painters 20th-century Spanish women artists