Burgeoning Springs in Autumn

In addition to studying law, Clausell was interested in journalism. Due to a political fracas, he was forced to leave México in 1896 and take up residence in Paris, where he met leading Impressionist painters such as Camille Pisarro (1863-1944) and Claude Monet (1840- 1926). On returning to México, encouraged by his friends, Gerardo Murillo and Diego Rivera, he began to paint in a serious manner, joining the circle of painters associated with the Open Air Painting Schools. He set up his studio on the roof of the old Palace of the Counts of Calimaya, since this building belonged to the family of his wife, Angela Cervantes. This work depicts a grove of trees running alongside a rocky incline, with a thicket-covered slope balancing it on the opposite side of the composition. In the middle of the canvas, the artist painted reflections using long, fast brushstrokes, showing his mastery of impressionist technique. His palette ranges through all the shades of green moving into the blues, attesting to his experimentation with color. Clausell preferred to paint in the open air, showing an interest in woodlands and water, since they allowed him to experiment with light and color. For this reason, he depicted the canals and springs of the Tlalpan area of Mexico City, painting these at different times of the day, from different angles and perspectives. Burgeoning Springs in Autumn was remitted to the MUNAL by the National Center for the Conservation and Registration of Mexico’s Artistic Heritage in 1982.