Church interior

Alfred Opisso was a painter and draughtsman in the 20th century. He came from a family of artists; he was the son of Ricard Opisso and grandson of Joan Cardona Lladós. He studied at the Escola de Belles Arts de La Llotja in Barcelona and took part in competitions in Barcelona in 1921 and 1922. Exhibiting at Barcelona’s art galleries, he made a name for himself as a portraitist in pencil with an outstanding finesse and quality. His works were praised for their pure style, clean lines, great expression and likeness of the images. In 1944 he won the national drawing prize at the Barcelona Biennial, and in 1958 he was awarded first prize for drawing in the Ynglada-Guillot competition. He also worked in illustration, notably with the works he produced for Cartas de una religiosa portuguesa (Letters from a Portuguese nun) and Pablo y Virginia (Pablo and Virginia). In 1947 he moved to Mataró and organised an exhibition at the Tot Art gallery. His work, with its neat lines, perfectly evoked the Catalan modernist style.

The painting shows a chapel, probably the church of Santa Maria in Mataró. In the foreground there is a priest and an altar boy in the church interior. On the right there is the altar and part of a wreathed column. Hanging from the ceiling there are three model ships; we can see their hulls and their masts. It is a space devoted to sailors’ votive offerings. In the centre of the painting there is a group of people wearing robes and carrying pennants; it is clearly a procession. The watercolour is an interesting portrait of a coastal church interior featuring votive offerings hanging from its ceiling.