Francesc d'Assís Casademont i Pou

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Francesc d'Assis Casademont i Pou (* 14. November 1923 in Barcelona , † 10. August 2007 in Girona ) was a Catalan painter, Kunstgraveur and draftsman. His characteristic images of the Mediterranean landscapes from the province of Girona (especially from Cadaqués ) and Ibiza are particularly well known . His compositions are well-ordered and are characterized by soft colors and slightly blurred contours. In order to differentiate himself from his son of the same name, Francesc - also a painter, who also linked artistically to his father's style - he humorously called himself "Francesc d'Assís Casademont Le Vieux" ("Casademont the Old").

Artistic career

Casademont was born into a family originally from Figueras in Barcelona, ​​who became part of the narrow urban bourgeoisie there. His father taught him to love the fine arts. After graduating from high school in the summer of 1939, his father made it possible for him to stay in L'Estartit to gain his first experience in outdoor painting. Out of a sense of duty, he took up industrial engineering studies in order to be able to take over the family business. Nevertheless, he was active as an artist and had a first exhibition of his pictures and drawings at the Institut Français in Barcelona in 1949/1950. He also took part in art seminars in La Lotja , learned from the sculptor Carles Collet on the one hand theoretical art concepts and on the other hand basic practical techniques in the field of sculpture, ceramics, enamel and engraving. Contacts with the artist group Cercle Maillol were important for his artistic development . Here he was primarily challenged and encouraged artistically by the painter Claude Collet .

After the death of his father, he initially took over the family business. This decision also meant foregoing a scholarship from the Cercle Maillol , which would have included an artistic study visit to Paris. He married Maria Angels Mercader i Camps, with whom he had two children, Francesc and Berta. He increasingly devoted himself to the adventure of art. He taught plastic arts and painting at a high school and at the interior decoration school in Barcelona. He wrote a treatise on the history of the styles of furniture. In 1953 he achieved international recognition at the engraving exhibition in Bordeaux. Numerous other honors and prizes for his engraving work followed. As a result of this artist's fame, he received numerous orders for special collector's editions and bibliophile editions: For example, the 12 urban landscapes of Barcelona in a collection by Rosa Vera, the books Shadows and Lights (Edition Meddens, Belgium, 1965) or the book Sol de España (Las ediciones Natua, 1967/68). From around 1961, there was a complete switch from business to the art world. This is manifest in his artistic presence in the catalogs of the May Salon in Barcelona from 1962, 1967 and 1968. In 1967 he held his first fully professional exhibition at La Pinacoteca in Barcelona. From now on he went on many art trips and art stays. He first moved to Paris, where he lived in a shared apartment with the painter Xavier Valls . There he associated with numerous Catalan artists who sought new artistic inspiration in Paris. He stocked exhibitions in London, Normandy, Austria. He made visits to German museums and traveled through Africa. He falls in love with the light of New York. On all trips abroad, he never forgets his Catalan-Spanish homeland. He travels through the Spanish plateau and the Pyrenees. All of his travel impressions are reflected in the pictures.

Years later he moves from Barcelona to Sant Cugat del Vallès . In this phase, pictures with geometric and cubist shapes dominate. Later he established his family and himself in Cadaqués , where he lived for a total of 17 years. This is where the much admired exhibitions Cadaqués seen in a new way are being created in the Blondel Gallery . Eventually he and his family settled near La Bisbal . From here he organizes numerous individual and collective exhibitions in important galleries around the world: in London, Paris and Berlin. In Vienna, Basel and Zurich. In Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco and also in Tokyo and Taiwan. In 1994 he received the Catalan government's highest award for culture, the Creu de Sant Jordi Prize . Casademont was a corresponding member of the Acadèmia de Belles Arts in Barcelona.

Appreciation

Casademont was considered a proven expert in the field of artistic engraving. He has been honored with several international prizes in this area. He was deeply recognized and adored because of his progressively developing work as a painter. Some art critics see an influence from Paul Cézanne . More precisely, one has to state significant influences on the part of Antonio González Velázquez and Juan Gris . Casademont's oeuvre is characterized by a permanent artistic development towards a decided simplicity. The light in his paintings is converted into a spiritual world of colors. In the final stage of development, his images appear simple and true. On the basis of such work characteristics, art experts come to the conclusion that Casademont did not have to sign any of these mature late paintings. These pictures appear authentic in and of themselves and cannot be copied in principle. We can see his pictures, for example, in the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona , in the Louvre in Paris, in the Museum Dali in Florida , in the National Museum in Graz or in the Museum of the Montserrat Monastery. Today these works speak in place of and for the artist.

Participation in exhibitions and prizes

  • 1949/50 exhibition at the Institut Français in Barcelona
  • 1953 Exhibition of engravings in the art circle (Círculo Artístico) of Bordeaux
  • 1957 Joint exhibition of engravings in the Galliera Museum about Rosa Vera in Paris
  • 1958 1st prize in engraving in the Salón de Otoño in the city of Palma de Mallorca
  • 1960 1st prize in engraving in Lugano
  • 1961 1st prize in xylography (wood tailoring) at the 2nd Biennale for Ritzkunst
  • 1967 Exhibition in La Pinacoteca
  • 1969 1st prize for engraving at the 14th Girona Art Competition (Concurs d'Art de Girona)
  • 1994 Creu de Sant Jordi award from the Catalan government

Books by Francesc Casademont

  • Pirineo (with texts and illustrative woodcuts). 1947.
  • El Sol de Espanya (in Catalan and Spanish). 1966.
  • El gran libro del niño. Fotografías. 1968.
  • Colibrí y Yunque . 11 volumes together with Xavier Figueres, 1971/72.
  • Sono Cosí - poemario de alma. 1998/99.

Literature on Francesc Casademont

  • JM Garrut: Dos siglos de pintura catalana . 1974.
  • Alexandre Cirici: El arte catalán contemporáneo . 1977.
  • Julio Trena: La luminosidad analítica de Casademont . 1977.
  • Maria Dolors Muntané: Casademont, Barcelona 1978, ISBN 84-85321-13-8
  • F. Galí: Presencia: figura y paisaje . 1979.
  • JJ Tharrats: Cien años de pintura en Cadaqués . 1981.
  • Gaspar Sabater: La pintura contemporánea en Mallorca 1982.
  • Enrico Bellari: Il lirismo de Francesco Casademont 1984.
  • Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana . 2nd edition, Volume 6, Barcelona 1988, 5th reprint 1992, ISBN 84-85194-90-X , page 390, article Casademont i Pau, Francesc D'Assis .

Films about Francesc Casademont

  • Casademont en Cadaqués, 1978.
  • Casademont Le Vieux, 1986.

literature

  • Enciclopèdia Catalana: Casademont i Pou, Francesc d'Assís . In: Gran enciclopèdia catalana. 2nd edition 5th reprint 1992. Volume 6 . Enciclopèdia catalana, Barcelona 1987, ISBN 84-85194-90-X , p. 390 (Catalan).
  • Enciclopèdia.cat: Francesc d'Assís Casademont i Pou. Retrieved April 26, 2018 (Catalan).

Web links

Individual references and comments

  1. ↑ Casademont had taught art (painting and sculpture) at the “Collegium Viaró”, a high school in Barcelona run by Opus Dei.
  2. ↑ The May Salon of Barcelona (Catalan: Saló de Maig, Spanish: Salón de Mayo) was an art competition held annually in Barcelona from 1956 to 1969, which brought together artists, art critics and the art public. It is considered to be the predecessor institution of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona. See the relevant articles on the Catalan or Spanish language Wikipedia.
personal data
SURNAME Casademont i Pou, Francesc d'Assís
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Casademont, Francesc
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish painter
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Barcelona
DATE OF DEATH August 10, 2007
Place of death Girona