David Mercadé Recasens — “Urban scene of Barcelona” — Watercolor, 1961

Original watercolor by David Mercadé Recasens, dated 1961, depicting an urban scene of mid-20th century Barcelona. The narrow, vertical format allows the artist to build the composition in height, combining trees, architecture, street furniture, automobiles, and small figures.

Barcelona as a pictorial motif

David Mercadé Recasens frequently worked on urban landscapes and various corners of Barcelona. This watercolor belongs fully to this aspect of his production and shows the city from an everyday perspective, far removed from a monumental representation.

In the foreground appear several figures and an automobile, while an elaborate iron structure organizes much of the composition. The foliage occupies practically the entire upper area and provides depth and movement to a scene built through quick, transparent brushstrokes.

The work is dated 1961, an especially interesting year within his urban production. Other Barcelona watercolors by the artist made that same year and in very similar vertical formats are known, including views of Passeig de Gràcia and the area around the Columbus Monument.

A watercolor of direct execution

Mercadé takes advantage of the inherent qualities of watercolor to suggest the city's architecture and movement without resorting to meticulous description. Greens and blues dominate the composition, interrupted by small accents of red, ochre, and yellow.

The presence of the automobile and the figures also makes the work a small visual testimony to Barcelona at the beginning of the sixties.

Technical sheet

• Author: David Mercadé Recasens.
• Title: Urban scene of Barcelona.
• Title: Descriptive, assigned for cataloging.
• Date: 1961.
• Technique: Watercolor on paper.
• Dimensions: 40 × 16 cm.
• Signature: Signed and dated “David Mercadé 1961” in the lower left corner.
• Subject: Urban landscape / Barcelona.
• Period: Mid-20th century Catalan painting.
• Provenance: Private collection.
• Conservation status: Condition consistent with its age. It shows signs of aging typical of the paper and small scattered spots visible in the photographs.

Workshop Note

A particularly attractive watercolor within Mercadé's urban production for its unusual vertical format and for the number of elements it concentrates into barely 40 centimeters of height.

The artist does not seek a photographic reproduction of the city, but rather to capture its atmosphere: trees, wrought iron, passersby, automobiles, and architecture are superimposed through transparent washes of color.

Its 1961 date also places it alongside other well-known Barcelona views created by Mercadé during the same period.