APRIL 23rd:
St. George. Honoring the “diada” (day of celebration, in Catalan) of St George’s day, the
Rusiñol Gallery made an appointment with both painting and literature. The name of the exhibition bears witness of it:
“Fidel Bofill vist per Miquel Martí i Pol” (
Fidel Bofill as seen by Miquel Marti i Pol).
Alongside the magnificent collection of this painter, the book “Colors” was also presented: this book is an original description of Bofill‘s works, with pictures and commentaries on his paintings along with some poems.
To be emphasized what the great poet Miquel Martí i Pol wrote as a prologue, which we listened to as an introduction to the exhibition.
To be pointed out that St. George is the patron saint of Catalonia, so St. George’s day is celebrated by men offering a rose to their wives, girlfriends or, simply, to any feminine friends they may care for, whereas they are supposed to give a book to their husbands, boyfriends or masculine friends.
Mr. Anton Carrera took care of the presentation -as a sort of reissue- of the book
“Colors”. «I collaborated in his preparation 25 years ago. Now, we are again presenting it because Fidel has requested us so. I have reread the poems. I would sign them again, such as they are… and this is rather unusual». It is a “choral” book; that is, a book where several persons have participated. The “corpus” of the book being reproductions of Fidel’s paintings. The prologue has been written by Miquel Martí i Pol».
Josep Mª Cadena‘s erudition completed the “poetic exegesis” of Bofill’s work. «I was left with the question of the last hendecasyllable that has been read:
“Qui sap d’on ve la llum?” (
Who knows where the light comes from?). This is a question that we all make. Poetically, Anton Carrera has asked it too». Fidel Bofill, an eminent impressionist landscaper, «has seen the light and he knows that light appears within life, in colours: these colours are, at times, like some kind of a dendriform bluish blaze, like when trees bloom; other times, they are like trees growing their own peculiar way while the colour of their wood wants to assert the amount of ideas they can suggest to all of us…».
«In a day like today it is important that there can be, on one side, poetry, that is, the questions the poet constantly makes through a norm (the hendecasyllable, for one), but it is also important the liberty to interpret: this is what Fidel Bofill does (…). All the norms of plastic arts are important, but, occasionally, we forget something: what the viewer sees; he sees what you have made and he brings many more qualities and feelings. The painter is a kind of prophet, someone advanced within life: he finds things for him, but also to be given to others». “(…) D’ara endavant, per un estrany prodigi, / no hi haurà mar si tu no el representes, / no hi haurà terra sense el teu arbitri (…)” [“(…) From now on, by a strange miracle / there will be no sea if you do not represent it / and there will be no land without your choice (…)”] (Martí i Pol).
The Rusiñol Gallery gave us a
chocolate rose. Cadena took advantage of this detail: «I am glad that you are here, because today is a day when most people are in the street. Many have the rose with them; but few have the book. Here, we have succeeded to combine the idea of the book and St. George’s rose. And, when I say the “rose”, they will say: ‘where is the rose?’ Well, the Rusiñol Gallery has thought of a rose which is the best one: an edible rose! This is important! I congratulate you, Fidel and Anton, for having joined us: you have given us quite a complete vision of this day and of Catalonia!».
