# Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje

Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje (18 April 1932 – 4 January 2017) was a Catalan and Spanish painter.

## Biography
### Artistic Tradition

Pagans was born in El Masnou, on 18 April 1932. Son of Alfred Pagans i Llauró and Clara Monsalvatje i Iglèsias, both coming from families of a long and rich artistic tradition which included members such as the guitar player and singer Llorenç Pagans i Julià (1838–83), brother of his grand grandfather, and good friend of Wagner and Edgar Degas' father. In several Degas’ paintings, the chanteur Pagans is portrayed alongside the painter's father.
Also, his grandfather, Francesc Monsalvatje i Fossas (1853–1917), developed important historical studies about the ancient Country of Besalú. Not to forget his uncle Xavier Monsalvatje i Iglèsias (1881–1921), writer and painter, and finally his cousin Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols (1911–2002), who is considered the most important Catalan composer of his generation.

### Artistic career

Jordi Pagans began painting in 1948. In 1950 he studies with Saturo López and assists to night classes in the School of Fine Arts of Barcelona. In 1956 he works in the "atelier" of Josep Roca Sastre, whose teachings and orientation are decisive in his formative years. The paintings of this period show that Pagans was already a master expressing the essentials, using as his own the concepts of impressionist and cubist schools. In 1955, he spends a couple of months in Paris, visiting the Louvre and the Jeu de Paume Museums, walking and taking sketches of the great Parisian avenues and boulevards.
He began exhibiting his work in group shows in 1953. He gains early recognition receiving in 1956 the Royal Circle Artistic Award from the Council of Barcelona and the "Rafael Llimona" Award in 1959, year in which he makes his first solo exhibit in the Municipal Gallery of Girona. In 1961 his work is shown for the first time in the "Club dels Quatre Vents" in Paris. The Ateneu Barcelonés shows his work in January 1962. Since then, his work has been exhibited continuously till the present (currently he is exhibiting in Girona).
In the 60's he keeps a close friendship with painter and historian Rafael Benet i Vancells (1899–1979) whose teachings were decisive. Rafael Benet enjoyed sharing time with young artists and considered Pagans one of his very favourites. The group that gathered at the café-restaurant "El Glaciar" of the Ramblas in Barcelona included Benet, Pagans, Humbert, Prim, Pruna and Alfred Figueres, among others. In 1963 he takes part of the "Realitat Visual" group, whose ideas about painting may be summarised as: painting should be a never-ending state of crisis between intelligence and the sensible as well as between knowledge and the feeling of reality.
Along these years (1963–1965), Jordi Pagans knows the marvellous landscape of Cadaqués, which since that moment captivates him. This small town of the northern Spanish Catalan coast and the sites around it offer the artist a peculiar and structured landscape which reveals itself as a pre-existence of his own dreamed landscape. Already a solid context of masses is characteristic of his paintings, and furthermore, the quiet and broad sense of the figurative and realistic composition, which his work has developed since then.

## Artistic Style

In absence of violent contrast and supported by the Mediterranean conception of light and colour it is remarkable in his career the constant maturation of an almost gestual modulation techniques of form and volume based upon brush strokes full of impasto. Pagans i Monsalvatje sees painting as a personal interpretation of the artist but capable of arriving to the onlooker through a never-ending state of crisis between knowledge and the feeling of reality.
Through his career, Jordi Pagans has worked and investigated with different materials to paint his urban and Mediterranean landscapes and still lives. He has arisen not only as an oil painter but also as a drawer, watercolorist, pastel and gouache painter. Not to forget his graphic work done in a great diversity of techniques but fundamentally etchings.

## Exhibitions

| 1959 Sala Municipal d'Exposicions, Girona 1961 "Le Club des Quatre Vents", Paris 1962 Ateneu Barcelonès, Barcelona 1963 Sala Vayreda, Barcelona 1966 Sala Vayreda, Barcelona 1967 Casa de Cultura, Girona 1968 Sala de la Caixa de Pensions, Girona 1969 Sala Vayreda, Barcelona 1970 Casa de Cultura, Girona 1971 Sala Vayreda, Barcelona Sala de la Caixa de Pensions, Girona 1972 Gallery Les Voltes, Olot L'Hostal, Cadaqués Sala Vall Paradís, Terrassa 1973 Sala Vayreda, Barcelona Sala Municipal d'Exposicions, Girona 1974 Art gallery Meliá Castilla, Madrid Gallery Shalom Art. Oviedo 1975 Sala Vall Paradís, Terrassa Sala Vayreda, Barcelona Gallery Prisma, Vilanova i la Geltrú 1976 Sala d'Art Sant Jordi, Girona Gallery Agora-3, Sitges Gallery Les Voltes, Olot Gallery Hisa, Manresa Gallery La Finestra Oberta, Lleida 1977 Sala de la Caixa de Pensions, Puigcerdà Centre de Lectura, Reus Madei, Sala d'Art, Barcelona Gallery d'Alaró, Sitges Gallery Actis, Sant Feliu de Guíxols 1978 Art gallery Sant Lluc, Olot | Art gallery L'Amistat, Cadaqués Gallery Sant Pol, Sant Joan de les Abadesses Gallery Art-3, Figueres Art gallery d'Ara, Igualada 1979 Gallery Maifrén, Barcelona Gallery U, Cadaqués Gallery Agora-3, Sitges Sala Navarro, Barcelona 1980 Sala Gòtica d'Art, Lleida Sala d'Art Galera, Reus Gallery Sant Lluc, Olot Cercle Artístic, Tortosa Centre del Comerç, Tortosa Art gallery Sant Jordi, Girona Art gallery d'Ara, Igualada 1981 Gallery Arxiu Tobella, Terrassa Gallery Coso-34, Huéscar Gallery La Gavina, Palamós Gallery Sacharoff, Barcelona Centre del Comerç, Tortosa 1982 Sala Dalmau, Barcelona Art gallery L'Amistat, Cadaqués Niu d'Art, Vilassar de Dalt 1983 Art gallery Terra Ferma, Lleida Gallery Clariana, Vic Art-2, Palafrugell Museu de Vilafranca del Penedès Centre de Comerç, Tortosa 1984 Sala d'Art "La Caixa", Caldes de Montbui Sala Dalmau, Barcelona Gallery La Gavina, Palamós Gallery Sa Llumenera, Cadaqués Art gallery Terra Ferma, Lleida 1985 Sala d'Art Aida, Terrassa Gallery Sant Lluc, Olot Sala d'Art Port Lligat, Cadaqués Gallery Espuña, Sant Feliu de Guíxols Centre de Comerç, Tortosa 1986 Sala Dalmau, Barcelona Sala Renoir, Zaragoza Sala d'Art L'Amistat, Cadaqués Centre de Comerç, Tortosa | 1987 Andorra Art Galery, Andorra la Vella Sala Aida, Terrassa Sala Dalmau, Barcelona 1988 Sala Clariana, Vic Art gallery Port Lligat, Cadaqués Centre de Comerç, Tortosa 1989 Gallery Ivee. Bumm, Düsseldorf 1990 Gallery Dalmau, Barcelona Art gallery Port Lligat, Cadaqués Art gallery l'Artística, Girona 1991 Art gallery Atelier, Barcelona Art gallery Agora-3, Sitges Art gallery Carma, Platja d'Aro 1992 Centre de Comerç Sala d'Art, Tortosa 1993 Sala Art Petritxol, Barcelona Sala d'Art Conxa López, Torredembarra 1994 Rembrandt Tot Art, Vilanova i la Geltrú Art gallery Les Voltes, Olot 1995 Sala Art Petritxol, Barcelona 1996 Dillon Galery, London Art gallery L’Artística. Girona 1999 Sala Art Petritxol, Barcelona 2000 Art gallery Les Voltes, Olot. Girona Art gallery La Riba, Cadaqués 2001 Sala Art Petritxol, Barcelona 2003 Art gallery Àgora 3, Sitges 2004 Sala Art Petritxol, Barcelona 2005 Art gallery La Riba, Cadaqués 2006 Art gallery Àgora 3, Sitges 2007 Art gallery Àgora 3, Sitges 2013 Sala Art Petritxol, Barcelona |

## Awards

1956 "Real Círculo Artístico" award, Concourse of new painters, Barcelona council
1959 Young painting award "Rafael Llimona", Sala Parés, Barcelona
1967 Honor diploma "XI Salon de Mayo", Barcelona
1968 Second prize in the painting concourse "Vila de Centelles"
1969 Third position in the Vallès art meeting, Granollers First position in thepainting concourse "Vila de Centelles Second position in the "National" concourse of Amposta
1972 "María Grifé" award, VII Concourse "Vila de Palamós"
1974
"Ministerio de la Vivienda" prize IX Concourse "Vila de Palamós"
1975 "María Trías" award (in memorial), "Vila de Palamós"
1980 "Ciudad de Huesca" diploma, IV Biennal Nacional de Huesca
1982 Special mention (Official diploma), Sala de Avignon, France Honorifical mention in the VIII Biennal of Vilafranca del Penedès