FRANCESC MIRALLES I GALAUP (Valencia, 1848 - Barcelona,... Lot 2

FRANCESC MIRALLES I GALAUP (Valencia, 1848 - Barcelona, 1901). "The Accident". Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower left corner. Size: 37 x 45 cm; 49 x 58 cm (frame). A carriage, in whose command is an elegant lady, tries to contain the advance of her horses before the sudden fall of a young washerwoman to the ground. It is an image of great expressive power, which only a brilliant painter can resolve as Francesc Miralles does, freezing the gestures and expressions at the height of the tension, as a photographic snapshot would do. The young woman, whose freshly washed clothes have been scattered on the floor, is attended to by a groom. The galloping legs almost graze the girl. In the background, other riders are still engrossed in their rides. They ignore the drama condensed in the foreground. Compositional boldness, atmospheric sensitivity and rapid brushstrokes combine in this oil painting.