Santiago Rusiñol

Santiago Rusiñol prints open onto quiet gardens, cypress walks and sunlit courtyards. Rusiñol was a painter, writer and collector, and one of the leaders of Catalan modernisme. He painted more than a thousand pictures, many of them the historic gardens of Spain. This collection gathers art prints of his garden views from Granada, Aranjuez and Mallorca, scenes of Paris and Barcelona, and portraits of his artist friends.

About Santiago Rusiñol

Santiago Rusiñol was born in Barcelona on 25 February 1861 into a family of textile industrialists. Although he was heir to the family business, he became interested in painting as a teenager and studied with the painter Tomàs Moragas. He first showed his work at the Sala Parés in Barcelona in 1879 and kept exhibiting with the gallery all his life.

In 1886 he married Lluïsa Denís, and the next year their daughter was born. Soon afterward he handed the business to his brother Albert and devoted himself to painting and travel. From 1889 he lived on and off in Paris, sharing lodgings in Montmartre with friends including Ramon Casas and Miquel Utrillo.

In 1893 he set up his studio in Sitges, the Cau Ferrat, and Sitges became a center of modernista festivals that combined theater, poetry, painting and music. In Barcelona he was part of the circle at the Els Quatre Gats café. He wrote plays and novels as well as painting, became a member of the Paris Salon in 1908 and received the French Legion of Honour in 1917. He died in Aranjuez on 13 June 1931, while there to paint its gardens.

Style and Subjects

Rusiñol's painting was influenced by the Impressionists, and he was drawn to Symbolism and to working outdoors. His early pictures show old Barcelona, working life and Paris street scenes. Later he became the painter of Spanish gardens: the terraces of Granada and the Alhambra, the royal gardens of Aranjuez and La Granja, and the landscapes of Mallorca.

His gardens are often empty of people, with clipped hedges, cypresses, fountains and stone steps in soft afternoon light, giving them a calm, slightly melancholy mood. He also painted portraits of friends and symbolic figure pieces in the modernista spirit.

Famous Works

• La morfina (Morphine) (1894). A young woman lies in bed under the effects of the drug, one of his most talked-about pictures.
• La medalla (The Medal) (1894). Named with La morfina among his most important works.
• Garden of Montmartre. A quiet corner of Paris from his years living in Montmartre.
• Entrance to the Park of the Moulin de la Galette. Another view from his Montmartre years.
• The Generalife Gardens, Granada. One of the garden views he painted after settling in Granada in 1897.
• The Blue Courtyard, Arenys. A sunlit Catalan courtyard in cool blues and whites.

Decorating with Rusiñol Prints

Rusiñol's garden paintings bring a calm, Mediterranean feeling to a living room, bedroom or sunroom. Their greens, warm stone colors and soft skies work well with terracotta, linen, rattan and whitewashed walls.

The Paris views and the Blue Courtyard suit a kitchen, dining room or hallway, where their everyday scenes feel welcoming. For a study or library, his portraits of fellow artists add a touch of Barcelona's café culture around 1900.

FAQ

What art movement was Santiago Rusiñol part of?

Rusiñol was one of the leaders of Catalan modernisme, the Catalan version of Art Nouveau. His painting also drew on Impressionism and Symbolism.

What is Santiago Rusiñol's most famous painting?

La morfina and La medalla, both of 1894, are often named among his most important works. He is also widely known for his many paintings of Spanish gardens.

Where can I see Rusiñol's original paintings?

His studio in Sitges, the Cau Ferrat, is now a museum with his collection and his work. His paintings are also in museums and collections in Barcelona and across Spain.

How can you recognize a Rusiñol painting?

Look for peaceful, often empty gardens with cypresses, hedges, fountains and steps, painted in soft light. His colors are usually gentle greens, blues and warm stone tones.

Was Santiago Rusiñol also a writer?

Yes. He wrote prose poems, plays and novels in Catalan, including L'auca del senyor Esteve (1907), which he later adapted for the stage.

Related Artists

• Ramón Casas — close friend and fellow leader of Catalan modernisme, who lived with him in Montmartre
• Ignacio Zuloaga — Spanish painter who shared the Montmartre years
• Isidre Nonell — fellow modernista painter of the Barcelona circle
• Joaquín Sorolla — Spanish painter of light, gardens and the Mediterranean of the same generation