Rafael Bataller — Plain landscape — Original watercolour on paper

Original watercolour by Rafael Bataller Giralt (1920–2013), a Catalan painter particularly associated with landscape. The composition shows an extensive plain built from horizontal bands of green, earth tones and blue, interrupted only by two groups of trees.

Bataller reduces the landscape to its essential elements, giving the sky a prominent role and creating a sense of silence, depth and spaciousness.

Initially trained with watercolourist Ramon Reig and later at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts, Bataller developed an extensive body of landscape work focused particularly on Blanes, Formentera, Paris and the Vall d’Aran.

Here he adopts a particularly pared-down language, close to landscape abstraction, using horizontal patches of colour and delicate washes to construct space.

Technical details

• Artist: Rafael Bataller Giralt (Blanes, 1920–2013)
• Title: Plain landscape
• Technique: Watercolour on paper
• Dimensions: 54 × 35 cm
• Signature: Signed “Bataller” in the lower right corner
• Style: Contemporary landscape painting / Simplified figuration
• Period: Second half of the 20th century
• Provenance: Private collection
• Condition: Good overall condition, with minor signs of age visible on the paper

The Taller Note

A watercolour particularly appealing for its economy of means and contemplative atmosphere. The broad sky and groups of trees transform a simple landscape into a balanced composition of notable sensitivity.