La Sargantaine (Portrait of Júlia Peraire)

La Sargantaine is an oil on canvas painted by Ramón Casas in 1907, portraying Júlia Peraire, a young woman of around eighteen from a modest background who posed for him and with whom he had what is known as his only steady romantic relationship; the two eventually married in 1922. The painting belongs to the Círculo del Liceo in Barcelona. Unlike many of his portraits of wealthy Catalan women, the figure here feels close and sensual, and the work is often regarded as one of the most evocative paintings of the artist's career. Its most striking feature is the intense yellow of the dress, handled boldly, with the fabric gathered at the skirt in a half-concealed way that shows Casas's command of colour. The picture belongs to a moment of transition: Modernisme was coming to an end, and artists who had led it, Casas among them, were losing their central role in Catalan art. His later portraits are often considered more conventional. The canvas won a prize at an international competition organised by the Círculo del Liceo, and as a result the club acquired it for its collection.

Painter

Ramon Casas

Date

1907

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

91 × 63 cm

Museum

Círculo del Liceo, Barcelona

Movement

Art Nouveau

Genre

portrait

Depicts

Júlia Peraire, woman

Share:FacebookWhatsApp