The painter Josep Verdaguer was born in Barcelona, on May 11th, 1923. During his adolescence, and without any other guide than his own intuition, he used to wander around the neighbourhood of the Noble City, while painting landscapes. Later on, he joined the Academy Tàrrega. When he was seventeen, he gains access to the Sant Jordi Fine Arts School. There, he will be lectured by illustrious artists, such Amat, Puig Remdro, Muntaner, Labarta... At the classrooms he connects with other pupils that will eventually succeed too: Jaume Muxart, Carles Nadal, Cadena, etc.
He held his first exhibition at the Galeria Condal, in 1947. It was quite a success: all his works were sold out. This attainment encouraged Josep Verdaguer to attempt the classic trip every good Catalan painter used to take to Paris. After a certain time dedicated to teaching, he received his first order for a mural. And that one led to other orders to paint the walls of many Catalan churches: Sant Andreu's; the hermitage of La Salut, in Girona; the church of Queralt, amongst others.
As of that time, he starts travelling to Sweden, Denmark, Holland and Belgium, as well as to Uruguay, Argentina or Brazil. He paints humble quarters, fishermen's hamlets, suburban areas, etc. He does the same whether he places his easel in Madras, alongside the Seine, in Paris or in the Nederland's channels and harbours. Scenery and people that require, in their representation, the wee small hours of dim light, at dusk or at dawn... He also paints plain domestic scenes, with an intimate and warm atmosphere, and still life with simple elements.
He is a field painter, very fond of painting in the open air. His drawings, quickly executed and spontaneous, represent his first impression. He has a great sensibility to register whatever feelings he experiences in front of a given subject. His work represents the marriage between the external reality and his internal spirit. It means representing the human nature, whether urban or rural, simple, without any sophistication, with a touch of melancholy. His production, as his critic Alberto del Castillo said once, is a piece of work where men and objects are considered and looked at with love and tenderness.
Bibliography:
"Josep Verdaguer", by Mª Àngels Ferrer; "Verdaguer", by Rafael Manzano; "J. Verdaguer", by Joan Iriarte i Josep Mª Cadena; "Masters of Catalan painting and sculpture", by José Mª Martín de Retana; "Excerpts from J. Verdaguer", by J. Verdaguer.
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