02 works, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, meet Isidre Nonell i Monturiol, with Footnotes. #85

Isidre Nonell i Monturiol, Spanish, 1872 - 1911

Consuelo, c. 1902

Oil on panel

73 by 59cm., 28¾ by 23¼in.

Private collection

Consuelo ( Barcelona , 1888 - Barcelona, 1905 ) was a model of Gypsy ethnic group that had a close relationship with Isidre Nonell . The painter repeatedly portrayed her between 1901 and 1905, until she died tragically at seventeen.

In the middle of the year 1900, Isidre Nonell returned from Paris to Barcelona. In a shared study, he saw how Ossó often used gypsy models, as they were much more affordable than professional models. Nonell abandoned his landscapes and began an era in which practically only painted portraits of gypsies, to the point of being known as the "painter of gypsies." 

In this context he met Consuelo, a thirteen years old, who became one of his favorite models and possibly the lover.

There were indications that Consuelo posed nude, something contrary to Gypsy ethics. The parents of Consuelo sent her to Madrid and married her to a gypsy. There she suffered the beating of the husband and asked for help to Nonell. In September 1903, Nonell, and the painter and art critic Sebastià Junyent , made a trip to Zaragoza and Madrid. He managed to rescue Consuelo and returned to Barcelona to live with his grandmother who also acted as a model, painted in some paintings entitled Gitana vella and known as Àvia.

Francesc Serra i Dimas (1877-1967)

Nonell with the painter's gown is sitting in front of a easel. Behind him, the gypsy models of Grandma and Consuelo on a bench. 

On November 13, 1905, a strong wind shot down a wall on the hut where Grandma and Consuelo lived in a barrage of Entença Street, and the two died under the ruins. More on Consuelo

Isidre Nonell i Monturiol (November 30, 1872 – February 21, 1911) was a Catalan artist known for his expressive portrayal of socially marginalized individuals in late 19th-century Barcelona.

From 1893 to 1895 he studied at the Escola de Belles Arts de Barcelona (Fine Arts School of Barcelona). He met Ricard Canals, Ramón Pichot, Juli Vallmitjana, Adrià Gual, and Joaquin Sunyer with whom he developed an interest in landscape painting, studying light. The study of sunlight and its effects on color were a main part of Impressionism, which was then active. They were called the "Saffron Group" for the warm tones they used, as well as the "Sant Martí Group" after the town they painted in.

In 1894, he began producing illustrations for La Vanguardia. He later drew for other periodicals, including L'Esquella de la Torratxa, Barcelona Cómica, Pèl & Ploma, and Forma.

In 1896, Nonell went with Ricard Canals and Juli Vallmitjana to the spa town of Caldes de Boí in the Catalan Pyrenees to work at the spa run by Vallmitjana's family. There, he saw a large number of people suffering from the illness of cretinism, which became a subject of his paintings.

In February 1897, he went to Paris with Ricard Canals. There he exhibited and shared a studio with Picasso. He returned to Barcelona in 1900. At the beginning of 1901, he made paintings of women, such as gypsy and working-class women, and still lifes. He exhibited in the Sala París in Barcelona twice, in 1902 and 1903. 

He died in Barcelona, aged 38. More on Isidre Nonell i Monturiol

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, and visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.