OIL ON CANVAS, “THE REAPER”, IGNACIO DÍAZ OLANO, 1890.

Oil on canvas, “The Reaper”, Ignacio Díaz Olano, 1890. Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Published in "Ignacio Díaz Olano. Passion and Reality" page 58 Ignacio Salvador Díaz Ruiz de Olano (Vitoria, 1860-1937), painter and teacher of painters, better known as Ignacio Díaz, studied at the Vitoria Academy of Fine Arts under Emilio Soubrier Martínez, and at the Llotja School of Fine Arts in Barcelona (1877-1880), where he met his teacher Gustavo Bacaristas. After completing his studies, he returned to his hometown, where he contributed illustrations to the weekly magazine "El Danzarín" under the pseudonym "Galop." Then, in 1890, he moved to Paris, where he spent four years studying anatomical drawing and working on set designs for the Paris Opera (although some argue that it is not entirely certain he was actually in Paris). Upon returning to Spain, he participated in the Vitoria Art and Industrial Exhibition with several works in 1884, the same year he opened his own studio in that city. There, he carried out significant teaching work until its closure in 1894, when he moved to Barcelona. That same year, he traveled to Rome, where he lived for two years. From 1912-1913, he also taught drawing at the General and Technical Institute, a position he held until reaching retirement age in 1932. Between 1890 and 1925, Díaz participated in numerous editions of the National Fine Arts Exhibitions, winning a bronze medal in 1895 and silver medals in 1899 and 1901. His work is held in the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Fine Arts Museums of Vitoria and Asturias, the Provincial Museum of Álava, the Vitoria City Hall and School of Arts and Crafts, private collections, and other institutions. Numerous experts have noted that Ignacio Díaz's art was heavily influenced by the fact that the painter spent a considerable amount of time surrounded by his fellow countrymen and neighbors. This led to the majority of his work consisting of oil paintings depicting popular and everyday subjects, portraits, landscapes, flowers, and still lifes. The present oil painting is a clear example: it shows a reaper in a half-harvested wheat field, holding a small sheaf, gazing at a point outside the frame. Likewise, his exceptional powers of observation and solid drawing skills are also evident. In this work, however, his progress is already noticeable, as he presents light fully integrated into his compositions. Alongside light, and little by little, color penetrated his work, also appearing in this painting as completely mastered. His search for immediacy brought forth the luminous splash and the chromatic flash, and, over time, he moved closer to naturalistic Impressionism without fully embracing the style, maintaining his own personality and formal distinctiveness.

· Size: 108 x 72 cm; 110 x 74 cm (marco)