Boatmen of Barcelona, 1886  Original Antique Hand Tinted Framed Print 25 x 18"

Artist Dionisio Baixeras y Verdaguer (Spanish, Barcelona 1862-1943 Barcelona)

Baixeras trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in his native Barcelona and made his international debut with this painting, which was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1886. It was purchased there by the New York banker, railroad magnate, and art collector George I. Seney, an early supporter of the Metropolitan Museum. The artist balanced a restricted palette with a bold design that fosters a sense of intimacy with these working men pausing from their labors. Their rapt attention to one another's conversation and measured gestures endow them with a dignity that transcends their grizzled appearance.