Josep Cusachs
1851–1908 · Spanish soldier and military painter, Barcelona
Josep Cusachs i Cusachs (Montpellier, 1851 - Barcelona, 1908) was a Spanish soldier and painter. He was born in France by chance, while his parents were travelling, but he spent most of his life between Barcelona and Mataró, and his military training shaped much of his painting.
He enrolled at the Artillery Academy in Segovia in 1865 and left the army in 1882 to devote himself to art. He studied locally with Simó Gómez and in Paris with Édouard Detaille, an expert in military subjects. His work focused on military scenes, especially cavalry, reflecting his love of horses.
He first exhibited in 1884 at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, and he showed there regularly with strong sales and critical response. In 1887 Queen María Cristina bought his painting En el campo de maniobras (Maneuvers in the Field), and in 1891 he won a gold medal at the Berlin International Exhibition with Maniobras de división (Divisional Maneuvers). He also painted portraits of King Alfonso XIII, General Prim and Mexican president Porfirio Díaz, and religious works such as La huida a Egipto (The Flight into Egypt), held at Montserrat. He often entrusted the landscapes in his paintings to other artists, such as Joaquim Vancells.
Works (2)
Oil on canvas dated 1908 by Josep Cusachs, in a Modernist style. It shows a standing soldier in military uniform with a beard, and a guitar also appears in the scene. The record offers no further details about commission, context or the artist's intention, so any reading of the figure or the instrument should be treated as tentative. It is held at the Biblioteca Museo Víctor Balaguer.
Portrait of Josep Puigcarbó, painted in 1901 by Josep Cusachs, an artist working within the Catalan milieu of his time. It belongs to the portrait genre, where attention rests on the sitter and his presence before the viewer. The available information does not allow us to say more about its composition, technique or the circumstances of its commission, so it is best read as an example of early twentieth-century Catalan portraiture.
Where to see the work
- Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer Barcelona · 1
- Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya Barcelona · 1