The Unknown Side of Mario Verdaguer
The pictorial work of Mario Verdaguer, created between 1933 and 1959, is one of the most surprising and least-known aspects of his career. Discover it through this exhibition!
Mario Verdaguer (1885–1963) was a key figure of Spanish modernity, as a writer and journalist. Playing a vital cultural role by translating for the first time into Spanish authors such as Kafka, Zweig, and Mann and introducing European avant-gardes to the Spanish-speaking world.
Photograph of three year old Mario Verdaguer y Travesí. (19th century) by F. FemeniasAteneu de Maó
Mario Verdaguer y Travesí was born in Menorca on June 13, 1885, into a family distantly related to Jacint Verdaguer and Josep Miquel Guàrdia. Due to his father’s profession as a professor of humanities, he lived in several cities before settling in Palma de Mallorca in 1893.
Mario Verdaguer y Travesí at his home in Palma de Mallorca (20th century) by UnknownAteneu de Maó
He trained as a teacher, earning his degree in 1905, while simultaneously studying law independently at the University of Barcelona, graduating in 1914—though he never practiced in either field. He also received formal artistic training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palma.
The pictorial work: An intimate facet
Despite his formal education, he dedicated himself to the world of letters as a journalist, writer, translator, and literary critic. Consequently, his painting developed within an intimate sphere, unexposed and far from the art circuits, yet resulting in works of exceptional quality and originality.
Bathers (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
Themes
His subject matter was diverse: forest scenes, human figures, cafés, urban landscapes, symbolic visions, literary themes, and dreamlike compositions. He described these as a product of "cerebralism and imagination", a unique blend of fantasy, lyricism, and bitter irony.
A scene from a gathering at the Born café (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
Technique
His technique was one of his most original contributions. He preferred watercolors, but applied them to very thin paper, a fragile support that allowed him to play with subtle transparencies and glazes.
Son Espanyolet neighbourhood (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
Originality
In a singular creative process, he often mounted the paper onto cardstock with the painted side facing down. This caused the image to appear softened, enveloped in a diffuse and poetic atmosphere, as if the scenes were memories or dreams. Occasionally, after flipping the paper, he would add final details to the surface.
Coffee terrace (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
Verdaguer was a solitary, independent creator, detached from movements and fashions. He did not align himself with late Modernisme, Noucentisme, or the vanguards of his time; his painting was born from a deeply personal and free sensibility.
Crucifixion II (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
While maintaining absolute creative independence, his work dialogues with key influences such as Cézanne, German Expressionism, and the Catalan painter Mariano Pidelaserra. When Expressionism appears, it does so in a restrained manner, through subtle distortions of space and form.
Roosters (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
Verdaguer and Japan
However, his most profound and constant bond was with Japanese aesthetics, a hallmark that permeated his production from youth to maturity. This influence is manifested in a delicate brushstroke, the use of evanescent contours, and the creation of ethereal atmospheres.
Bird and flowers (15th-16th century) by Artist: Originally attributed to Oguri SotanSmithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
His interest in Japan was scholarly; he even learned the language. While the rest of Europe was largely influenced by ukiyo-e, Verdaguer was drawn to Zen painting and the works of the Muromachi period (14th–16th centuries), integrating the use of "emptiness" (void) and expressive restraint into his art.
Study of Mme. Chauchat (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
The two sides of Mario Verdaguer
His two artistic facets—literary and visual—are inseparable. He illustrated the covers of his own books and developed visual interpretations of both his own writing and the texts he translated. Displayed here is his portrayal of Mme. Chauchat from Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.
The two eras of Verdaguer
His body of work is divided by the Spanish Civil War and the tragic death of his son, Magí. During the postwar period, he faced political purging and a brief imprisonment—a common fate for intellectuals linked to Catalan culture or the Republican side—before going into self-exile in Mallorca.
Woman resting (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
Despite these hardships, he continued to paint. Between 1946 and 1949, his mastery of classical techniques allowed him to create 19th-century style imitations to alleviate his financial struggles. In 1958, he returned to Barcelona, and in 1962, the City Council of Mahón named him "Illustrious Menorcan" in recognition of his literary career.
Self-portrait by Mario Verdaguer done in pencil (20th century) by Mario Verdaguer y TravesíAteneu de Maó
His pictorial work, though largely unknown until now, reveals a free, solitary creator of exceptional sensitivity. Despite remaining outside the formal art world, today it represents a singular and vital contribution to 20th-century painting.
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