{"id":19028,"date":"2020-02-27T12:35:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T12:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/?p=19028"},"modified":"2021-02-22T13:48:23","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T13:48:23","slug":"students-of-interior-design-at-the-escola-massana-visit-the-museu-nacional-dart-de-catalunya-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/en\/students-of-interior-design-at-the-escola-massana-visit-the-museu-nacional-dart-de-catalunya-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Students of Interior Design at the Escola Massana visit the Museu Nacional d\u2019Art de Catalunya, II"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Students<\/a>
Students of Interor Design at the Escola Massana <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The inlay work of Gaspar Homar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ESTER COBLES P\u00c9REZ and SOL URBANO MORALES <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The late nineteenth century was a period of sharp socioeconomic contrasts, emerging due to the process of industrialization in cities. In Barcelona, this process, along with the return of wealthy capitalists because of the Cuban crisis, created an economic boom. The flow of capital was now controlled by the incipient bourgeoisie, who began to settle in the centre of Barcelona and were well established by the beginning of the twentieth century. The growth of the industrial bourgeoisie was mirrored by a similar growth of the proletariat. The streets of Barcelona became the scenes of the class struggle and echoed new ideologies (Marxism and Communism). The middle class took refuge in their homes, and did everything they could to avoid conflict. A concern for decoration and wellbeing in the home generated new art markets and the bourgeoisie thus became the driving force behind Modernista<\/em> art patronage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The social changes at the turn of the century obviously did not take place in isolation. The perception of art was also adapted to the new precepts of industrialization. \u201cArt for Art\u2019s Sake\u201d <\/em>became an almost extinct concept (at least in the most underprivileged social classes), giving way to utilitarian design. At the same time, the Modernista<\/em> decorative movement gathered momentum in the highest echelons of society. New art <\/em><\/strong>broke with established aesthetic conventions and threw off the shackles of the past. Curved shapes inspired on nature appeared in architecture: in doors and windows, ceilings, staircases and cornices, and they entered houses in all kinds of furniture: wrought iron lights, tapestries, the backgrounds of paintings, and even in clothes. The artistic liberation representative of Art Nouveau <\/a>(or Modernisme<\/em> if we\u2019re talking about Catalonia) was, in short, the symptom of the changes in the people who appreciated art, which in turn was addressed to two very different kinds of consumer<\/strong>, so much so that we see two very contrasting trends with regard to the conceptual lines of furniture. On the one hand, there was a practical and functional side that included furniture in the Thonet<\/a> style, with curved wood and a simple manufacturing process that made use of mass-production. On the contrary, furniture destined for the middle-class dwelling<\/strong> was less lightweight: it was made of solid wood, usually decorated, and it required a craftsman\u2019s skill to make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modernisme<\/em> <\/strong>in Catalonia left a praiseworthy architectural legacy<\/strong> and even more contributions <\/strong>in the world of the decorative arts<\/strong>. The idea of the total work of art,<\/strong> so typical of Modernisme,<\/em> was reflected in the composition of the team of craftsmen. The multiple facets of the applied arts came together to develop projects with the same conceptual line from beginning to end, down to the tiniest detail. The workshop of Francesc Vidal<\/a> in Barcelona stands out precisely because it brought together the finest craftsmen and artists of the day in the same place; they included one of the most highly reputed cabinetmakers, furniture makers, and ensembliers <\/em>of Modernisme<\/em>: Gaspar Homar i Mezquida<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gaspar<\/a>
Gaspar Homar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gaspar Homar came from a humble family. He was born in a small village in Mallorca called Bunyola, and he moved to Barcelona in 1893, aged just 13. There he studied decorative painting, fabrics and embroidery at the Llotja school. During his time at the Vidal workshops he concentrated on cabinetmaking and furniture design<\/strong>. Woodcarving took precedence over inlay work in this period, a trend that was later reversed when he found his own style and opened several workshops with his father and his brother-in-law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Atelier<\/a>
Atelier Gaspar Homar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the great contribution of Homar\u2019s inlays, the new Modernista<\/em> houses<\/strong> were inundated with flowing landscapes with women dancing <\/em>(fig.1), allegorical figures of the seasons and music, evocations of Botticelli\u2019s work in the quattrocento or images of worship of the Virgin Mary, elements that along with the rose <\/strong>and the influence of Japonism<\/strong> complete Homar\u2019s iconographical framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perfection in the execution of his inlays makes Homar <\/strong>stand out above the cabinetmakers of the time, and he was one of the artists most sought-after by the Catalan bourgeoisie. We find the panels in bedheads, in the backs of armchairs or on the doors of chests and wardrobes, accompanied by other decorative elements such as metals, ivory or mother of pearl, thus complementing the beauty of the piece of furniture. With this artisanal presentation furniture takes on a new dimension that elevates it directly to the category of art.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inlay technique<\/a><\/strong> involves the combination of different kinds of wood that together form a rich palette of colours. One element to note in Homar\u2019s work is the incorporation of wood in light shades <\/strong>such assycamore, boxwood or rosewood, among others, that combine with other, darker ones like mahogany, Hungarian ash, jacaranda, cherry or doradillo<\/em>. In this way the artist dispenses with the hitherto habitual procedures for changing the colour of oak, such as aniline dyes, painting with beer or ammonia vapour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The iconography <\/strong>of Homar\u2019s marquetry panels clearly reflects the influence of orientalism<\/strong>, in both their narrative composition and their presentation, in which it evokes the Japanese format kakemono*. <\/em>In these panels one senses timeless landscapes that flood the image with woods of lilies and orchids, and also anemones and citrus trees, characteristic of landscapes on the island of Mallorca. These landscapes are the background settings for the scenes, which as they lack perspective give the human figure prominence, raised in relief supplying movement and dynamism. Notice the closeness of these works to the style of the Viennese Secession <\/em>and especially to Olbrich<\/a>, one of its greatest exponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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