BARCELONA, 1936 – SANT CUGAT DEL VALLÈS, 2009 Joan Martí
From the beginning he was magnetized by the human figure and the scenes of everyday life, also by the natural and urban landscape.
He knew how to master all kinds of techniques: oil, pastel, watercolor, graphite …
BIOGRAPHY
Joan Martí was born in the middle of the Eixample of Barcelona two months before the outbreak of the Civil War, which will not be alien to his personal and artistic career.
As a child he studied at the school of the Immaculate Conception and with the age of thirteen he was admitted as an apprentice in the studio of the painter Nolasco Valls. Since its inception showed a clear preference for figurative art. He was determined to become a painter and in 1953 he entered the Superior School of Fine Arts of San Jorge where his artistic vocation was formed and perfected by an important range of painters and professors: Rigoberto Soler-Pérez, Ernest Santasusagna, Antonio García Morales, Miquel Farré. ..
In 1956 he performed military service in Cartagena and Mallorca. During his stay in the island he had the opportunity to meet Anglada-Camarasa in his studio in Pollença; during two days the artist attended him with an exquisite kindness all teaching his work, which resulted in an extraordinary interest and it was an unforgettable experience.
In 1959 he finished his studies, obtained a degree and made his first solo exhibition. A year later the School of Fine Arts granted him a scholarship to expand his studies in Italy, a country he visited visiting the most important artistic cities: Florence, Pisa, Siena, Rome, Naples, Venice … He also traveled to Paris, where he lived for a long time, which allowed him to visit museums and contact other artists.
After a period of deep reflection on his painting, he made what would be his second exhibition that became a great success. From that moment his pictorial work was recognized through exhibitions in the best galleries in Spain and the World. He also participated in the main international fairs and contests.
He knew how to master all kinds of techniques: oil, pastel, watercolor, graphite … As for the subjects, from the beginning he was magnetized by the human figure and the scenes of everyday life, also by the natural landscape and the urban.
His interest in the figure led him to make a collection of portraits of important personalities such as S.M. the king Juan Carlos (collection The king and the sea), Jordi Pujol, Plácido Domingo (compendium of works on the Otello opera), the scientist Joan Oró and the writer Josep Pla, among others. The latter left written about his painting that is full of practical realism, almost magical, intelligent and extremely pleasant.
Available works
