Moonlight night in Girona

Prudenci Bertrana Compte, painter and writer, was trained at the Escola Llotja in Barcelona. In 1892, he took part in an exhibition at Sant Feliu de Guíxols, where he came into contact with the Olot School and Santiago Rusiñol, who were the pioneers of a renovation in pictorial style.

In this painting Bertrana depicts the riverside houses of Girona by night.

In his novel El vagabund, the main character contemplates the city at night with ’the picturesque row of old motley houses casting their confused reflection on the calm heavy waters of the river’.

In the upper part you can see the cathedral in the background with the houses of the Onyar, is without a doubt the most frequented setting painters in Girona.

However, everybody paints this scene in daylight. Only Bertana, as a secret enthusiast, enjoyed it at night. The moon was very prestigious. In the romantic era, it was a significant protagonist across the arts.

A composition is shown based on horizontal planes with vertical lines. The cold ranges predominate: green, blue, ocher and lily, highlighting the yellow of the moon. Moon night light.