José Mongrell i Torrent | Genre painter

José Mongrell i Torrent (1870-1937) was a Spanish painter, born in Valencia and died in Seville.

He studied at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts with Ignacio Pinazo (1849-1916).

During this formative period, he already showed his skills as a portraitist and entered the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid for the first time, where he would continue participating throughout his career.

In 1899 he moved in Madrid where he attended the studio of Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923) while also regularly visiting the Prado Museum to learn from the old masters, particularly Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).

He excelled in the portrait genre, thanks to his academic training, and obtained many commissions.

In 1902 he started to achieve great success in creating posters for which he won a number of competitions.

In fact, he was instrumental in introducing Modernismo in poster-making in Valencia.

He won Third Medal at the 1904 National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Madrid where he was also acclaimed by critics.

In 1906 he left Madrid and settled in the town of Cullera, near Valencia.

There, inspired by the beach and the sea, his works reflected his learnings from Sorolla, capturing the everyday lives of peasants and fishermen and becoming one of the best exponents of local regional painting.

Two years later, one of his posters earned the artist an Honorary Mention at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, further enhancing his prestige in poster-making and allowing him to secure a clientele.

His growing recognition opened up the doors to the international art world and he took part in exhibitions in Buenos Aires and other Argentinian cities.

In 1913 Mongrell moved to Barcelona after being appointed Professor of Drawing at the School of Fine and Industrial Arts.

There he increased his presence in exhibitions, showing works at Sala Parés and Círculo Artístico.

His fame grew in the 1920s.

In 1923 the artist held his first solo exhibition at Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, which had a major impact in the press.

In 1927 he was commissioned to carry out part of the decoration of the Salón de San Jorge in the palace that houses the headquarters of the Generalitat de Cataluña (Catalan autonomous authority), attesting to his reputation at the time.

José Mongrell died in Barcelona on 5 November 1937 at the age of sixty-seven.

José Mongrell Torrent (1870-1937) è stato un pittore Spagnolo.

Studiò alla Scuola di Belle Arti San Carlos di Valencia, dove fu allievo di Ignacio Pinazo e Joaquín Sorolla.

La sua partecipazione a vari concorsi ed esposizioni a Madrid e Barcellona gli diede una certa reputazione negli ambienti artistici.

Realizzò il Manifesto del Toro per la Fiera di San Jaime a Valencia nel 1897, con grande successo.

Ottenne un posto di insegnante presso la Scuola di Belle Arti San Jorge di Barcellona, dove visse per il resto della sua vita.

Di fronte alla Sala di San Giorgio del Palazzo della Generalitat della Catalogna realizzò una grande opera, commissionata dal presidente del Consiglio provinciale di Barcellona, il conte di Montseny, che rappresenta la Vergine di Montserrat con santi e re in adorazione suo.

Realizzò dipinti di genere, ritratti e temi tradizionali con un'atmosfera valenciana, molto in linea con Sorolla, dove si percepiscono reminiscenze dell'arte del XIX secolo.

Il valenciano Joaquín Sorolla fu il suo mentore più influente e Mongrell divenne uno dei membri più importanti di un gruppo di artisti spagnoli ispirati dalla luce e dai soggetti di Sorolla.

Sebbene entrambi gli artisti dipingessero la vita quotidiana in riva al mare, Mongrell sviluppò comunque il proprio stile distintivo.

Inoltre, mentre Sorolla viaggiò molto, sia in Spagna che all'estero, Mongrell visse localmente e limitò la sua pittura a soggetti valenciani.