Paradises and Landscapes in the Carmen Thyssen Collection. From Brueghel to Gauguin

31 March - 7 October 2012
El Jardín del Edén
Darío de Regoyos

Les Amandiers en fleur (The Almond Trees in Blossom), 1905

Oil on canvas, 46 x 61 cm CTB.1987.19

Les Amandiers en fleur depicts a typical scene along the Spanish Mediterranean coast during the months of January or February, although the precise location is unknown.

As is common in Regoyos’s work, a human figure appears in the landscape, in this case acting as the focus of attention. It is unusual to find a landscape by the artist where there is no figure present. As an anecdotal motif, Regoyos includes a red parasol of the type often found in the Impressionist paintings by Monet and his close friend Camille Pissarro.

The composition of this picture, painted from the terrace of a house nearby, comprises the horizontal lines (of the river banks and the horizon) and the diagonal lines of the path, while between them the spaces are arranged to form a perfectly balanced whole. In addition, the artist applies his considerable knowledge of the Divisionist technique to obtain a green countryside filled which colour and variety through the precise use of the brush. This acts as a perfect contrast to the paths that have lost their surface of grass due to the frequent passing of carriages and people. Regoyos was particularly skilled at conveying the exact texture of this type of track.

The presence of almond trees in bloom indicates the type of climate and the Mediterranean area which this work depicts. Regoyos uses the group of trees to hide what lies behind the wall, although not totally successfully, as the tops of some cypresses emerge from behind the group.

Regoyos would entitle his works on the back with his brush whenever he sent them to exhibitions and could not be present during the hanging. This made it easier for the gallery owner to identify the work and the price he was to ask for it in the case of a sale, for the paintings on show would be accompanied by a handwritten list of titles and prices.

The whereabouts of this work was unknown until 1986, when it appeared at a public auction in France for the first time. The original owner has not yet been identified.

Juan San Nicolás