ANTONI DE FERRATER | LANDSCAPE OF CAMPRODON (1934) | ORIGINAL DRAWING | CATALAN NOUCENTISME

ANTONI DE FERRATER | CAMPRODON LANDSCAPE (1934) | ORIGINAL DRAWING | CATALAN NOUCENTISME

The architect's constructive rigor and the light of the Pyrenees, united in a sketch from nature. A historical visual document, dated 1934, that captures the essence of the landscape and the summer vacations of the Catalan bourgeoisie.

HISTORY AND CURATORIAL ANALYSIS

The architect's gaze and the synthesis of the landscape

Antoni de Ferrater i Feliu (1891-1959) was a man of synthesis: an architect by profession and a draftsman by vocation. This analytical duality is key to deciphering this work. While a purely romantic painter would have gotten lost in the anecdote of the foliage, Ferrater instinctively seeks the underlying structure of the landscape.

In this small-format original drawing, we see how the artist "constructs" nature. The farmhouses or summer houses are not mere scenic elements; they possess weight, volume, and a solid perspective that immediately reveals the expert hand of the architect. However, the stroke that defines the trees is loose, atmospheric, and enormously vibrant, demonstrating exceptional plastic fluidity.

Camprodon 1934: A Historical Plein Air Document

The immense value of this print lies in its immediacy and its dating. It is a work of pure plein air painting (outdoor drawing), a sketch taken live during a stay in Camprodon, the legendary summer retreat of the Catalan upper bourgeoisie. The work does not show studio retouching; it is the raw and direct capture of a corner where rural architecture dialogues with the forest, reflecting the order, clarity, and balance characteristic of the Noucentisme sensibility.

WHY IS THIS PIECE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION?

• Autographed Dating and Location (1934): The documentary value of the piece is enhanced by the handwritten inscription by the author in the lower right margin: "Camprodon 1934". This detail anchors it in a key historical moment, just two years before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

• The Technical Duality: The art market greatly values the sketchbooks and drawings of architects for their absolute mastery of proportion. Here we find the perfect balance between the geometry of technical drawing (in the facades and openings) and the expressive freedom of fine art.

• TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Author: Antoni de Ferrater i Feliu (Barcelona, 1891 - 1959).

  • Title / Subject: Camprodon Landscape / Houses among the trees (Noucentista Landscape painting).

  • Year of creation: 1934.

  • Technique and Medium: Original drawing in grease pencil / charcoal on drawing paper.

  • Documented Dimensions: 12.5 x 16.5 cm (Cabinet format / Travel sketch).

  • Signature and Inscriptions: Titled, dated, and hand-signed "Camprodon 1934 / Ferrater" in the lower right corner.

  • Style / Movement: Noucentisme / Structural Realism.

  • Provenance: Private collection / Gallery fund.

  • Condition: Excellent archival quality. The stroke remains firm and stable. The paper support retains its structural integrity, showing the beautiful and uniform warm tone (ivory/toasted) characteristic of its age and natural aging.

  THE WORKSHOP'S NOTE

  This sketch transcends the purely aesthetic to become living history. To own this drawing by Ferrater is to hold in your hands an exact fragment of the summer of 1934 in the Catalan Pyrenees. A work small in dimensions but immense in intellectual rigor, essential for the collector specializing in the golden age of Catalan culture and architecture of the turn of the century.

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  Includes Collector's Dossier: This work is delivered with a research study of the work, prepared and printed by El Taller del Coleccionista, certifying our research and known provenance.