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Eliseu Meifrèn
(Barcelona, 1859 – 1940)
Author's artworks
19th-20th Century Spanish
Born in Barcelona on 24 December 1857, Meifrèn began studying art in 1875 at the La Lonja School, where his teachers included Ramón Martí i Alsina (1826-1894), under whom he created his first landscape painting in a naturalist style.
In January 1879, he travelled to Paris, where he got in touch with the
Barbizon School
Active from 1830 to 1870, this group of French painters led by Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867) gathered in the village of Barbizon near the forest of Fontainebleau from which it would take its name. The group came about as a rejoinder to the prevailing social and art system in Paris ruled by neo-classical criteria. The members of the Barbizon School practiced a naturalistic brand of painting, largely predicated on the representation of landscape. They began to make
au naturel
sketches with the idea of engaging in direct research into the effects of light, which was the starting point of
en plain air
or outdoors painting. Their approach to landscape was a major advance in painting at the time and could be seen as the immediate precursor of Impressionism.
and with Impressionism, and had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with
plein-air painting
The French term
plein air
is used for painting executed in the open air with the intention of representing and capturing the atmosphere as realistically and immediately as possible. It brought about a revolution in landscape painting in the mid-nineteenth century, when artists decided to go outdoors to make sketches au naturel, underscoring the importance of observing nature directly. The members of the Barbizon School are widely viewed as the first proponents of this type of painting, and the French Impressionists as its main champions. It reached its peak in 1870 thanks to the availability of lighter materials, like paint tubes for oil painting, or the invention of the field easel, thus making it easier to paint outside the studio.
, whose influence would prove crucial for the subsequent development of his practice.
In that same year, back in Spain, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Valencia Regional Exhibition and began exhibiting regularly from then on. He won important distinctions at the
National Exhibition of Fine Arts
An official annual art exhibition held in Madrid since the mid-nineteenth century which set the guidelines for Spanish academic art at the time. It was divided into five sections: painting, sculpture, engraving, architecture and decorative arts. Painting was the core section around which the whole exhibition revolved. A number of distinctions were awarded: first, second and third class medals and an honorary medal or prize, sometimes called a mention of honour. The show was one of Spain’s most important national awards, and was viewed as a key event for all artists aspiring to achieve prestige in their careers. Due to its conservative and academicist nature, it showed little inclination to accept many of the emerging movements and the most innovative works were often rejected or displayed in secondary spaces (which soon came to be known as "crime rooms").
in Madrid, an event he entered for the first time in 1881 and would continue to attend until 1936.
In 1883 he moved to Paris, where, largely due to the influence of Impressionism, he gradually left behind his previous engagement with Naturalism, opting instead for a new visual language. This turned out to be highly significant as Meifrèn is now viewed as one of the introducers of Impressionism in Spain.
Three years later he travelled through the north of the province of Gerona and discovered the landscapes of the Costa Brava, being one of the first to recognize the visual potential of the area. The body of work he painted during those trips went on exhibit at the group shows organised at Sala Parés in 1886 and 1887, where they were very well received.
In 1887 he was awarded the Third Medal at the
National Exhibition of Fine Arts
An official annual art exhibition held in Madrid since the mid-nineteenth century which set the guidelines for Spanish academic art at the time. It was divided into five sections: painting, sculpture, engraving, architecture and decorative arts. Painting was the core section around which the whole exhibition revolved. A number of distinctions were awarded: first, second and third class medals and an honorary medal or prize, sometimes called a mention of honour. The show was one of Spain’s most important national awards, and was viewed as a key event for all artists aspiring to achieve prestige in their careers. Due to its conservative and academicist nature, it showed little inclination to accept many of the emerging movements and the most innovative works were often rejected or displayed in secondary spaces (which soon came to be known as "crime rooms").
and took part in the Barcelona World Expo. In 1888 he won a Third Medal at the Paris Expo and earned high praised from French critics who declared him to be among the best artists in the Spanish section.
In 1889 he had his first solo exhibition at Sala Parés. One year later he returned to Paris, where he would alternate seasons until 1893, taking part at the
Salon de Paris
An official art exhibition organised by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris and held in the French capital from 1725 onwards. The show set the patterns of the academic art of the time. In 1737 the exhibition was opened to the public and was held, at first, annually, and then biennially, in odd-numbered years. In 1748 a jury of awarded artists was introduced. In 1849 medals for the winners were presented for the first time. In 1881 the French government withdrew its official patronage of the Salon, and a group of artists founded the Société des Artistes Français to take over the running of the show. Until the late-nineteenth century it was one of the top international art events and absolutely essential for any artist who wished to earn prestige. With the passing of time, the Salon became more conservative and academicist, and unreceptive to many of the emerging movements, like Impressionism. More and more works were rejected or hung in unfavourable places. This situation upset many artists and critics, leading eventually to the creation of less strict alternative salons.
and the
Salon des Indépendants
An annual exhibition organised in Paris by the Société des Artistes Indépendants, a society formed in 1884 with the goal of showing works by all artists who claimed the independence of their art from academicism. It was created to respond to the rigid traditionalism of the Salon organised by the
Académie des Beaux-Arts
and was presented with the slogan
sans jury ni récompense
(without jury nor reward). Its founders included Odilon Redon (1840-1916), Georges Seurat (1859-1891) and Paul Signac (1863-1935). During the three decades following its inception, its annual exhibitions set the trends in modern art.
.
In 1891, during a brief sojourn in Spain, he passed on his interest in Sitges to Santiago Rusiñol (1861-1931), who would later adopt that town as his favourite place for painting. In that same year, together with Juan Roig i Soler (1852-1909) and Arcadi Mas i Fondevila (1852-1934), he founded what would be known as the Luminist School of Sitges, which played such a crucial role in the configuration of modernity in Catalonia.
His international prestige increased in the late-1890s: he obtained a Bronze Medal at the 1900 Paris Expo and several solo exhibitions were organised in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
In the early-1900s, his success was well established. In 1906 he won a First Medal at the National Exhibition, the Grand Prix at the Buenos Aires 1910 Expo, an Honorary Medal at the San Francisco 1915 Expo, and the Grand Prix of the San Diego 1916 Expo. In 1926 he was appointed chevalier of the
Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur
Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honour is the highest of all French honorary distinctions. It is granted to either French nationals or foreign nationals who have served France in the civil and military fields to reward their extraordinary achievements.
, a very prestigious distinction that speaks of the reputation he enjoyed.
Meifrèn died on 5 February 1940 in Barcelona of pneumonia. From that moment onwards many shows were organised in his tribute. Especially worth mentioning is the exhibition held in 1952 at Palacio de la Virreina in Barcelona.