Cavalry Regiment (1899)

The FUNDOS Collection, as part of its significant collection of Spanish painting and printmaking from the Modern Age to the 20th century, houses a military-themed painting by Catalan artist José Cusachs y Cusachs (1851–1908), dated 1899 and titled Cavalry Regiment.  

The artist’s style was always closely tied to military-themed painting. This work is a clear example, depicting a cavalry unit of the Spanish army maneuvering on what appears to be a beach on a cloudy day.  

Cusachs employs a triangular composition in which, in the foreground and middle ground, two officers seem to be overseeing the movements of their troops, who fade into the distance, transformed into blurred patches of color.  

This composition turns the edges of the painting into indistinct smudges where figurative detail disappears, requiring the viewer’s eye to reconstruct the riders' bodies. This technique reflects the artist’s pursuit of complete and authentic realism, adding depth to the scene.  

Cusachs seeks to make the viewer feel like part of the composition, mimicking how the human eye, in open landscapes, focuses on the center of what it sees while disregarding the periphery. Through these artistic choices, the painter achieves remarkable realism and vitality in his work.  

The landscape itself is of little interest to him—it is merely a rough sketch of a gray, overcast beach. However, the subtle presence of water puddles enhances the atmospheric effect. What truly captivates Cusachs is military attire and equine anatomy—areas in which he was a true master.  

We can say that Cavalry Regiment is a magnificent example of José Cusachs' finest work—a lesson in technical refinement, realism, and composition, as well as a declaration of love for the art of painting and for military life, a source of inspiration even today.