Josep Guinovart (1927-2007) - Azul de travesía

Pictura Galeria presents this magnificent print belonging to Josep Guinovart, which depicts a small white-sailed boat advancing solitary through an immense seascape, symbolizing freedom, hope, and the journey toward new horizons. • Dimensions with frame: 93x73x2 cm. • Lithography dimensions: 76x56 cm. • Print hand-signed by the artist at the bottom right. • Limited edition H.C. • The piece is in good conservation condition. • The work is sold with a precious frame (included in the auction as a gift). The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona. Important note: the included photographs are an integral part of the lot description. The lithograph will be professionally packed by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to ensure its protection. The shipping price covers both the cost of professional packaging and the transport itself. Shipping will be carried out by Correos or GLS with tracking. International shipping available. This painting presents a powerful marine vision of an abstract nature, dominated by a wide range of blues, greenish grays, and deep blacks. In the middle of this vastness appears a small white-sailed boat advancing solitary to the right, becoming the only clearly recognizable element of the scene. Its delicate presence contrasts with the monumentality of the surrounding space and transmits an intense sense of freedom, adventure, and fragility before the power of nature. The composition seems to extend beyond its own limits, as if it were only a fragment of a much larger seascape. The large blue planes overlap and cut across the image with broad, enveloping movements, suggesting the existence of waves, currents, wind, and changes in light. This lack of precise boundaries between water and sky creates an open atmosphere, in which both elements seem to merge. The upper area is occupied by turquoise, blue-green, and light gray tones that evoke a sky lit by a soft luminosity. Numerous clear signals traverse this space with different directions, recalling clouds blown by the wind, flashes on the water, or gusts crossing the horizon. The general feeling is of an active, changing nature in constant movement. From the upper left corner descends a large dark blue form that diagonally traverses the composition. Its presence can resemble a high wave, a coastal mountain seen from the sea, or a huge shadow projected on the water. This structure introduces depth and directs the gaze toward the center, where the different tones begin to blend more intensely. In the heart of the work extends a wide blue-gray mass with irregular contours. Within it appear lighter zones, curves, swirls, and small marks suggesting the agitation of the sea surface. Some shapes seem to rotate on themselves, like foam caught in a current, while others advance diagonally and convey the impression of a strong wind pushing the water and the boat forward. The small white sail, situated near the right margin, becomes an extraordinarily important point of light. Its triangular shape stands out clearly against the dark, blue-toned surroundings. Despite its small size, it immediately draws the eye and provides the composition with a narrative dimension: someone seems to be traversing this vast landscape, moving toward an unknown destination. Below the sail a small brown shape is discerned, suggesting the hull of the boat. The simplicity of its presence reinforces the idea of distance, as if the sailboat were observed from a high shore or from another remote point at sea. No people are visible aboard, allowing the imagination of a solitary navigator or turning the boat into a universal symbol of human travel. The relationship between the boat and the surrounding space is deeply evocative. The sailboat seems tiny before the large blocks of color, yet it maintains a firm and determined presence. The sail remains open and luminous, a sign that it continues to move despite the ocean’s enormity. This tension between fragility and determination gives the work a contained and highly suggestive emotion. At the bottom, large black forms cross the composition horizontally. Their long, curved, irregular profiles may recall a boat seen up close, a port structure, a shadow on the water, or even the remnants of an ancient vessel. Their darkness introduces a strong contrast with the surrounding blues and provides a solid visual base to the whole. Two vertical black shapes rise from the ends of this lower structure. The one on the left is broader and more solid, while the one on the right appears narrower and irregular. Between them extends a long dark stripe that could be interpreted as a gangway, a pier, a gunwale, or a large silhouette reflected on the sea. Its undefined character enriches the scene and leaves room for the imagination. Beneath this band, new dark and blueish trajectories are perceived, recalling the movement of nearby waters. Some light areas appear among the black shapes as reflections of light that manage to penetrate the surface. This play between darkness and luminosity creates depth and makes the lower area appear much closer to the viewer. Thus, the composition establishes an interesting contrast between two scales. In the foreground are the large dark structures, solid and dominant; in the distance, the small white sailboat navigates surrounded by open space. This difference creates a sense of perspective and allows imagining the viewer observing the boat from the protection of a harbor, a rocky coast, or a vessel of greater dimensions. The color range is built mainly around different shades of blue. There are deep, nocturnal blues, others softer near gray, turquoise tones, and greenish patches that add variety and richness. The deep blacks intensify the drama, while the whites and creams introduce light and allow certain elements to emerge strongly. Blue conveys serenity, depth, and a certain melancholy. Yet the energy of the forms prevents the scene from feeling completely tranquil. Everything seems to be moving: the sky changes, the waters churn, the shadows lengthen, and the sail advances. In this way, the work blends a contemplative atmosphere with a powerful sense of movement. The scene can be interpreted as a homage to the sea and its ability to awaken contradictory emotions. The ocean appears as a space of freedom and beauty, but also as a vast and unpredictable territory. The small boat seems to accept this duality and continue its course, becoming an image of courage, trust, and personal quest. It can also be understood as a metaphor for the journey of life. The white sail would represent the individual moving through a world much larger than himself, surrounded by currents, obstacles, and constant change. Although the destination is not visible, the boat maintains its course, conveying the idea of perseverance and confidence in the chosen path. The absence of a clearly defined horizon enhances the piece’s poetic character. The sea and sky seem to form one evolving expanse, making the sailboat sail in an almost imaginary space. This ambiguity transforms the landscape into an emotional experience and allows each viewer to project their own memories, desires, or concerns onto it. The brightness of the sail can also be interpreted as a symbol of hope. Amid the large dark surfaces, that small white triangle remains visible and seems to move toward a more open area. Its small size does not diminish its importance; on the contrary, it shows how a single point of clarity can completely alter the reading of a composition. The work invites us to imagine the sound of the wind, the impact of waves against a nearby structure, and the creak of the boat as it advances. It also evokes the salty smell of the air and the sensation of looking at the horizon during a day at sea. This ability to awaken sensations makes the scene an immersive and deeply evocative experience. For its elegant predominance of blues and its strong personality, this painting would add depth and character to a contemporary living room, an office, a library, or a maritime-inspired space. Against a light wall, its dark tones would acquire a particularly sophisticated presence, while the small white sail would act as a delicate light point capable of drawing the eye. Overall, the work offers an intense and poetic vision of a small boat navigating alone among immense blue expanses and large dark forms. The white sail, delicate yet determined, introduces a powerful idea of hope and freedom in the face of the ocean’s monumental scale. Between landscape, abstraction, and symbolism, the painting speaks of travel, the search for new horizons, and the will to keep moving even when the destination cannot yet be seen.

Estimate:£295.69

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