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Lot description
JULIO VILA PRADES (Valencia, 1873 - Barcelona, 1930). "Young man with a lantern". Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower right corner. It presents a restoration, visible on the back. Measurements: 100 x 80 cm; We see in this canvas a work different from the most usual production of Vila Prades, although perfectly framed in his costumbrista aesthetics, centred on the human figure. However, we do not find his Mediterranean luminosity, as it is a nocturnal scene which becomes a demonstration of technical mastery of the work with light. The light is radiated by the coloured lantern held by the young woman, a lantern of oriental inspiration typical of the period. The girl, on the other hand, represents the painter's feminine ideal: a girl with rounded features and a friendly expression, looking directly at the viewer, dressed in typically Spanish clothes, adorned with floral motifs that seem to be reflected in the central band of the lantern. Also noteworthy is the setting in which the figure is located, an indeterminate setting, possibly a garden, flooded with lush plants that add vibrancy to the background and flood the stage on the right side, enhancing the decorative sense of the composition. Julio Vila Prades trained at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in Valencia, where his teachers were Joaquín Agrasot, Juan Peyró and Francisco Domingo Marqués. After completing his studies he moved to Madrid, where he attended Joaquín Sorolla's studio between 1893 and 1904. He regularly took part in the National Exhibitions of Fine Arts in the capital, winning honourable mentions in 1892 and 1897 and a second medal in 1904. The son-in-law of José Artal, the great promoter of Spanish painting in Buenos Aires, he travelled to Argentina in 1904. From there he visited various Latin American countries, where he received commissions for decorative painting such as the ceilings for the Tigery Club in Buenos Aires, the government palace in Tucumán and the Mar de Plata Club. During these years he also painted numerous portraits of personalities of the time. On his return to Spain in 1921, he decorated the ceiling of the Gran Kursaal in San Sebastián. He also worked as an illustrator and poster designer, particularly for Anís Fígaro, the Valencia July Fair (1900 and 1906). Julio Vila Prades is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the Fine Arts Museum of Huelva, the National Fine Arts Museums of Buenos Aires and Havana, the Municipal de Arte Tigre in Buenos Aires, the Historical and Military Museum of Chile, Valencia City Hall and the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian, among others.