Tortosa and the Ebro

This work represents a panorama of the river and city of Tortosa, which would be interpreted on countless occasions by Arasa. The image of the houses on the banks of the river, crowned by the La Suda castle, produce a silhouette of the urban mass which is typical of the period and is commonly known as La Tordada of Arasa’s paintings. Ferran Arasa i Subirats (1905-1992) He studied at the Ricard Cerveto Academy of Drawing and Painting in Tortosa, and later with his brother Antoni Cerveto in Madrid. In 1926 he presents his first exhibition in Tortosa, which would become the starting point of Arasa’s artistic career. In 1932 he was awarded the Medal of the Masriera National Competition, organised by the Sant Jordi Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona. This recognition was a decisive moment in his career and a major boost to his vocation. In 1936 he moves to Mallorca, spends time in Pollença and with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War remains there until 1939 when he returns to Tortosa. Arasa’s high point is in 1945, the year in which he is awarded the Diputació de Tarragona Tapiró Award. It is at this moment that Arasa finds the personal language that would define his pictoric work during the fifties and sixties. Following some initial years of incomprehension, his work is accepted and accentuated in parallel with the cultural renaissance taking place in the city of Tortosa. Within this context, Arasa becomes a prominent figure. In general, the pictoric production of this era is characterised by the adoption of a technique rich in paste, based on fine, vertical brushstrokes with a constructive nature. The use of colour, with nuances, gives the work strength and unity, with a predominant use of a blue, green, ochre and white hues. The result is a highly personal work, with a tendency towards expressionism that will accentuate over time. Arasa felt that his brushstrokes could be associated with the strident music of brass instruments introduced by Wagner.