Reflections on the River

CLOTA GRAS, Albert

Albert Clota Gras (Barcelona, 1928 – 2021) was a prominent Catalan painter, draftsman, and visual artist, renowned for his serene landscapes of melancholic atmosphere and his mastery of decorative and mural painting. Between 1942 and 1947, he studied drawing and painting at the Barcelona School of Arts and Crafts under the tutelage of Professor Manzanilla, a training he supplemented in the workshop of M. Margaix (professor of modeling and casting) and with private lessons from masters V. Navarro and R. de Capmany. In 1946, he began his professional career in the field of decorative painting, specializing in mural procedures on silver leaf and oil techniques, and made his public debut by participating for the first time in the 5th Exhibition of Artists of Gràcia in Barcelona, an event in which he would participate on numerous occasions. Beginning in the 1950s, he embarked on a lengthy period of travel and solo exhibitions, alternating with group competitions. His great mastery of drawing meant that line predominated over color in his works, combined with a rich handling of chromatic possibilities to recreate shadows, chiaroscuro, and environmental nuances. A master in capturing water, he chose humid wetlands and transparent lagoons after storms to portray rainy days, the flow of water or its stillness, the constant presence of trees, and twilight hours, conveying in his compositions a peaceful, tranquil sensation with a touch of noble melancholy. Passing away in Barcelona on May 31, 2021, at the age of 92, his work is included in public and private collections across the Iberian Peninsula (such as Barcelona, Madrid, Oviedo, Gijón, and Vitoria) and in various international cities including Rome, Milan, London, Tokyo, and Miami.