(Valencia 1870–1937 Barcelona)
Valencia, Returning from Fishing, signed, dated J. Mongrell 1919, oil on canvas, 106 x 120 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection Italy.

Jose Mongrell y Torrent painted the sea, fisherfolk and the beaches of Valencia in a bright, luminist style. The present work evokes the bustling atmosphere of the fishing community on the beach, showing the daily toil of a fisherman in Valencia. The women are depicted carrying baskets under the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. Mongrell was from a working-class background and he focused on portraying the everyday workers of his surroundings.

Mongrell studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia under Ignacio Pinazo and Francisco Domingo Marques. The Valencian Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923) was his most influential mentor and Mongrell became one of the foremost members of a group of Spanish artists inspired by the light and subjects of Sorolla. Although both artists painted the everyday life by the sea, Mongrell nevertheless developed his own distinctive style. Also, while Sorolla travelled widely, both within Spain and beyond, Mongrell lived locally and limited his painting to Valencian subjects.