Adolfo Guiard is one of the leading figures in Basque art. The critics of his time and those who came after him are unanimous in considering him as the introducer of modernist painting into the Basque Country, following his time in Paris from 1878 to 1886.
He began his training in the Basque Country at the studio of Antonio de Lecuona in Bilbao. From there he moved first to Barcelona and later to Paris, where he met Degas, who was a great influence on him and led him towards a delicately expressive impressionism. He subsequently returned to Bilbao, and later lived in various rural locations in Bizkaia before finally settling in Deusto. True to the spirit of impressionism, he wanted to get out and paint in natural settings. Around Bizkaia he discovered the Basque countryside and produced a number of paintings of village people, a theme in which he blended the teachings of Lecuona with impressionist techniques. His painting of country folk at work was to be interpreted as an adaptation of modernist painting to the Basque Country, and Guiard¿s works were taken as models by generations of painters who came after him.
The work shown here is Vieja ["Old Woman"]. It fits into this theme, and is dated around 1910. It was originally meant as a preliminary sketch for a larger painting called Las Viejas ["The Old Women"]. This latter picture depicts the porch of a village church, where a small market is being held. The characters shown include two old women sitting by the chickens that they have for sale, and one of them is the figure from the painting shown here.
Through his art Guiard sought to experience nature and interpret it though visual elements. His human figures are always dignified and are shown at work, without drama or idealism. He sought to show actual reality, even though it might not always be very pleasant to the eyes of onlookers.
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2020. Ventanas a la colección de arte vasco. Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava. 17/01/2020-18/12/2020.
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GONZÁLEZ DE DURANA, Javier. Adolfo Guiard: el primer artista moderno. Bilbao, Muelle de Uribitarte Ediciones, 2009.
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