JOAN QUERALT | "LA CHUNGA": GESTURAL EXPRESSIONISM | CATALAN FAUVISM | MIXED MEDIA ON CARDSTOCK

An original work by Joan Queralt i de Quadras, dated 1977, documenting his most experimental period, notable for its gestural synthesis and the structural use of pure color to capture movement.

HISTORY AND CURATORIAL ANALYSIS

Cultural reference and the synthesis of movement

In this piece, Joan Queralt i de Quadras (Barcelona, 1947) moves away from classical anatomical representation to focus on the energy of flamenco dance. The work, dated 1977—a period of notable effervescence in his artistic production—takes Micaela Flores Amaya, "La Chunga", as its reference. Queralt does not seek a strict physiognomic portrait, but prioritizes visual impact and the capture of dynamism through a markedly post-impressionist and Fauvist language.

The architecture of line and pure color

What defines this piece is the striking application of painterly matter. The mixed media is densified on the cardstock, creating a high-contrast surface. Queralt uses a warm palette dominated by yellows, oranges, and pinks, sharply contrasted with quick, nervous black strokes. It is interesting to observe how these dark outlines do not academically enclose the figure, but rather act as a skeleton that defines the silhouette of the dancer in full motion, enhancing the saturation and light of the adjacent tones.

WHY IS THIS PIECE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION?

• Cult Iconography: The figure of "La Chunga" transcends folklore to become a cultural icon, having been a muse for historical avant-garde masters. Incorporating a contemporary interpretation of this reference by Queralt adds significant historical and narrative interest to the collection.

• Experimental Fullness (Key Period): Dated in the late 1970s, the work represents the artist's most daring and expressive phase, prior to his settling into more conventional genres. It is a direct visual document of his gestural maturity.

• Plastic Power: The dynamism of the composition and the radicalism of the warm palette make the work a strong focal point. Its Fauvist aesthetic provides a visual force capable of anchoring and giving character to any contemporary space.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Artist: Joan Queralt i de Quadras (Barcelona, 1947).

• Title / Theme: "La Chunga" (Flamenco figure in motion).

• Year / Period: 1977.

• Technique and Support: Original mixed media on cardstock, executed with high pigment density and a dark gestural line.

• Documented Dimensions: 32 x 25 cm.

• Style / Movement: Expressionism / Catalan Fauvism.

• Provenance: Private collection.

• Condition: Excellent. The support is stable and the pigments retain their original saturation, luminosity, and freshness.

THE WORKSHOP'S NOTE

In 20th-century art collecting, the most interesting works are those that manage to synthesize an attitude through a strict economy of means. Queralt achieves this in this cardstock with a firm hand and implacable chromatism. This mixed media is a lesson in gestural expressionism; a powerful and visually magnetic acquisition, designed to add accent and graphic strength to the walls of a discerning collector.

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