This exquisitely painted nude depicts a tender moment of an elegant woman, posed seated as though this were a traditional portrait of an important royal or aristocratic figure, with a cloth draped softly over her legs. The piercing dark eyes of the sitter look straight out at us, suggesting a close, affectionate relationship between artist and subject.
Joan Palet Batiste was an extraordinary painter and draftsman, born in Barcelona into a family of sculptors and woodcarvers. Attending La Llotja school of fine art,Palet was taught by the likes of Ramon Calsina, Félix Mestres and Antoni Vila Arrufat. Following this, the artist lived a fascinating, albeit tumultuous life and career through the Civil War.
