In this painting, Grau Santos offers an early but already representative example of his creative output.

Convinced that nature does not imitate art but also that art does not demean nature, Grau Santos continues along a path outlined by Post-Impressionism when he depicts the rhythm of modern life from such a heartfelt approach that could only be defined as intimate.

In the wake of the teachings of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Grau Santos fuses drawing and colour in a radical synthesis. He captures the flow of the everyday, and re-elaborates it through a refined blend of light and colour, bringing it to life not inasmuch as forms per se, but as the outcome of that fusion. This method is borne out in this everyday scene rendered with quick, energetic and nervy brushstrokes and flowing marks with which the artist builds the figures spreading across the canvas.

In this view of a fish market Grau Santos shows his fondness for genre scenes. The public gathers around the auctioneer, waiting for the bidding to begin on the freshly caught fish.

Always removed from the changing movements that came and went in art, Grau Santos’ painting stands out for his exaltation of the beauty of everyday events, using figuration as a means to transfer his daily experiences to the canvas.