Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem

Casas painted this canvas in 1897 to hang inside Els Quatre Gats, the Barcelona bar that served as a meeting point for Catalan Modernisme and was run by Pere Romeu. The two men ride a tandem bicycle against the city skyline: Casas appears in profile with his pipe, while Romeu gazes straight out at the viewer. Although it is painted in oil on canvas, the picture has the punch of a large poster, with bold outlines and simplified forms, which reflects Casas's skill as a poster designer and illustrator. Originally, a Catalan inscription on the right, later cropped away, said that riding a bicycle means you cannot keep your back straight. The phrase captured the bar's outlook: progress requires breaking with tradition. Around the turn of the century, the tandem was replaced by a companion piece showing the same two men in a car, a symbol of the new century. The work is now held by the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona.

Painter

Ramon Casas

Date

1897

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

188 × 2155 cm

Museum

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona

Movement

Catalan modernism, Art Nouveau

Genre

portrait

Depicts

pipe, Barcelona, cigar, Pere Romeu i Borràs, beard, cycling, smoking, Ramon Casas

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