Javier Rey | View of Sitges on a Painter's Palette | Oil on board | Colorist Expressionism

A colorful and iconic view of Sitges executed on a truly unique support: a wooden painter's palette, where the shape of the object integrated into the frame multiplies the artistic value of the scene.

History and Curatorial Analysis

Galician artist Javier Rey, based in Sitges, draws on the great landscape tradition of this emblematic Catalan seaside town—a historical landmark of Modernisme and a magnet for creators since the time of Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Casas—to reinterpret it from a contemporary and markedly expressionistic perspective.

In this work, Rey takes the most recognizable image of Sitges as his motif: the promenade (Passeig de la Ribera) with its characteristic kiosk, palm trees, the sea dotted with sailboats, and the unmistakable silhouette of the Church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla rising above the breakwater. The technical uniqueness of the piece lies in the direct use of a painter's palette as a rigid support. On it, the artist applies oil paint with rapid, gestural brushstrokes, loaded with material. The chromatic palette is intensely Fauvist: a sky in violet and purple tones dominates under a sun ablaze in cadmium red, creating a vivid contrast with the yellows of the architecture and the turquoise greens of the water.

Reasons for Collection

• Collector's Support: The use of the cut-out wooden palette itself creates a meta-artistic interplay between the painter's tool and the final work, making it a unique conversation piece.

• Emblematic Iconography: It represents the most coveted urban and maritime profile of Sitges, a market with constant tourist and regional collecting demand.

• Chromatic Force: The bold combination of violets, yellows, and turquoises provides a modern luminosity that fits perfectly in contemporary interior spaces.

• Custom Presentation: It is presented framed with a yellow passe-partout that highlights the contour of the palette and an outer frame in violet/purple, matching the predominant tones of the sky.

Technical Specifications

• Artist: Javier Rey

• Title: View of Sitges from the Promenade (Attributed title)

• Period: Contemporary

• Style: Expressionism / Fauvism

• Technique: Oil on board cut in the shape of a painter's palette

• Work Dimensions: 40 x 28 cm (Palette)

• Dimensions with frame: 50 x 38 cm

• Signature: Lower right corner of the palette ("Rey")

• Back Inscription: Handwritten note on the back sealing paper ("2.9.2016 / Painted by Luis Barbadillo")

• Condition: Excellent structural and pictorial layer condition.

The Workshop's Note

Views of Sitges painted on original supports or artist's palettes have an extraordinarily fast commercial turnover, both for their high-end souvenir value and their appeal to collectors of Catalan art. For El Taller del Coleccionista, this work by Javier Rey is a cheerful, lively, and tremendously decorative piece that combines the charm of the Mediterranean coast with a lighthearted and unmistakable format.