Ricard Opisso Sala

Grandmother, Mother and Daughter with Dog Watercolor on Paper Signed – Circa 1930s Charming and finely executed watercolor on paper depicting three elegantly dressed women—grandmoth...

Ricard Opisso i Sala – “Soldiers Flirting in the Park” – Oil on Canvas, 75 × 101 cm (29.5 × 39.7 in) Artist: Ricard Opisso i Sala (1880–1966) Title: Soldiers Flirting in the Park Te...

Ricard Opisso - Beggars - Colored pencils Measurements drawing 21x31cm. Frame measures 39x48 cm. Damaged paper at bottom. Anti-reflective glass. Son of Alfredo Opisso y Viñas, journalist, historian and critic, and of Antonia Sala y Gil, his sister Regina Opisso, was also a writer. He comes from an enlightened family full of artists. His paternal grandfather was Josep Opisso y Roig, journalist and director of the Diari de Tarragona, father of the also writers Antonia Opisso y Viña and Antoni Opisso y Viña. His maternal great-grandfather was the painter Pere Pau Montaña, his maternal grandfather the fabulist Felipe Jacinto Sala and his maternal uncle, the painter Emilio Sala y Francés. His nephew was Arturo Llorens y Opisso, a writer better known under his pseudonym Arturo Llopis. Although he was born in Tarragona, his family moved to Barcelona when Opisso was only two years old. In modernist Barcelona at the end of the 19th century, Opisso worked as an assistant to Antonio Gaudí in the works of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona since 1892. He was linked to the group Els Quatre Gats, along with Ramón Casas...

Vintage Parisian Café Terrace Scene – Original Figurative Drawing, 1930s Artist: Ricard Opisso Sala (1880–1966) Origin: Spain, Catalonia Period: Circa 1930, 1930s Medium: Colored pencil on paper Dimensions: 11 × 13 cm (4.33 × 5.12 in) Framed dimensions: 35 × 37 cm (13.78 × 14.57 in) Signature: Signed “Opisso” lower right Frame: Included, substantial black wooden frame with dark mat Condition: Good vintage condition, consistent with age DESCRIPTION An exquisite original colored pencil drawing by Ricard Opisso Sala (1880–1966), one of the most celebrated Catalan illustrators of the 20th century, depicting a lively café terrace populated by elegantly dressed figures. Dating from circa 1930, this charming composition captures the sophisticated atmosphere of European café society during the interwar period. Three intimate groups of men and women occupy small round tables, reading newspapers, enjoying drinks and engaging in conversation. With remarkable economy of line, Opisso conveys individual personalities through expressive gestures, fashionable clothing and subtle interactions. Delicate touches of blue, red, yellow and green enliven the drawing, while the predominantly black outlines provide structure, rhythm and visual clarity. The scene reflects Opisso's distinctive ability to transform ordinary moments of urban life into sophisticated and engaging social observations. Its intimate scale offers a particularly appealing example of the artist's celebrated graphic style. Signed “Opisso” in the lower right corner. Presented in a substantial black wooden frame with a wide dark mat, creating an elegant contrast with the delicacy and luminosity of the drawing. A collectible example of original European figurative illustration, especially appealing to admirers of Catalan art, Art Deco aesthetics, vintage café culture and early 20th-century works on paper. ARTISTIC INSPIRATION The drawing belongs to the tradition of European urban genre scenes, combining the observational wit of French Belle Époque illustration with the modern sensibility of interwar Barcelona and Paris. Its emphasis on café society, fashionable figures and everyday interactions recalls the visual culture associated with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jean-Louis Forain and the illustrated press of the early 20th century. The composition also reveals the elegant simplification, lively characterization and narrative qualities that made Opisso one of the most recognizable figures in Catalan graphic art. ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Ricard Opisso Sala (Tarragona, 1880 – Barcelona, 1966) was a prominent Spanish-Catalan draftsman, illustrator and painter whose career spanned Catalan Modernisme, the Belle Époque and the social transformations of the 20th century. Born into a distinguished family of artists and intellectuals, Opisso moved to Barcelona during childhood. As a young artist, he worked in Antoni Gaudí's studio and participated in the artistic environment surrounding Els Quatre Gats, the legendary Barcelona café associated with Pablo Picasso, Ramon Casas and Isidre Nonell...