Bidspirit auction | OIL ON BOARD “ROQUELAURE”, AGUSTÍN

OIL ON BOARD “ROQUELAURE”, AGUSTÍN CARRERA, ART DECO, PS XX – SPAIN - Provenance: Private collection. Good condition considering its age and use. Overall dimensions: 99 x 121 x 2.5 cm. Dimensions without frame: 96 x 118 cm. A beautiful, large, and important oil on panel by the renowned Fauvist artist Agustín Carrera (1878-1952). Born in Madrid to French parents, he studied in Marseille and Paris and benefited from several scholarships, including the Indochina Scholarship in 1912, which allowed him to travel to Asia, a region that became a recurring theme in his work, especially in his monumental pieces. He also trained in Montmartre, Paris, with the Impressionists. A true Fauvist, a contemporary of Vlaminck, Derain, Valtat, but above all of Camoin and Manguin, after the First World War, during which he was mobilized and wounded, his style evolved toward Art Deco with a rich palette, giving prominence to the support as a constructive element. In 1922, he won the competition to decorate the ceiling of the Marseille Opera House (Opéra Municipal de Marseille). A prominent member of the École Provençale, it is time to place him in his rightful place in history, as, after his death, Carrera fell into a long and unjustified obscurity. This early 20th-century work, set in Roquelaure, in the Gers department of the Midi-Pyrénées region, features two beautiful women in the foreground in a relaxed and uninhibited pose. Behind them, a group of three older women dressed in black are harvesting wheat. In the background, practically in the center of the composition, the village that gives the work its name is visible, adding depth. Loose brushstrokes prioritize drawing, delineating silhouettes and volumes to emphasize the subject, resulting in a balanced pictorial composition with great visual impact and a distinctly Art Deco aesthetic.