The altar boys

"This Arcadi Ms I Fondevila (Gràcia, 1852 – Sitges, 1934) painting is a double-side painting.

Arcadi Mas I Fondevila was, together with Joan Roig I Soler, one of the founding members of the denominate “Luminista School” of Sitges. The distinctive trait of this group of painters was the wish to capture the changes that light provoked in the appearance of objects, people and landscapes.

The front of the painting, called “Altar boys” shows some altar boys inside a church. A scenery very present in his work, that let him represent the colourful light projected on surfaces, after going through stained glam windows, the little candle flames or frames golden reflection , altarpieces or metal objects.

On the other side a girl in the countryside represents a young peasant sitting next to a sown field at harvest time. Here the author plays with the light effects on the field and over the girl, mainly over the blouse left sleeve. To capture the light effects on the white colour was an exercise that had already attempted impressionists painters."