Under the direction of Cecilia De Torres
Assisted by Susanna V. Temkin, Madeline Murphy Turner, and Victoria L. Fedrigotti
Catalogue Entry
1919.16
Escena portuaria
Alternate title: Puerto
1919
Oil on canvas
13 13/16 x 17 11/16 in. (35 x 45 cm)
Signed lower left: J. Torres-GARCIA; dated lower right: 1919
In 1928, the Uruguayan vibrationist painter Rafael Barradas (1890-1929) wrote a letter to Torres-García about a visit he had paid to the architect Ramon Sastre i Juan (1896-1988). The Spanish architect was an admirer of Torres-García’s and a strong supporter of the arts and culture. That same year, he had founded, Joia, a magazine dedicated to poetry and the visual arts.
On that visit to Sastre’s studio, Barradas wrote that he saw some “magnificent paintings [of Torres-García’s], among them, a harbor scene featuring a fierce white ship.” We now know this to be this painting, Escena portuaria (or Puerto) from 1919.
In the same letter, Barradas told his friend that his sister, Carmen, who was a composer and pianist, was sending Manolita a copy of the recital program for a concert she had given at Sastre’s studio. Each Tuesday, the architect opened his space up for lectures, readings, and concerts.
Provenance
Private collection, Barcelona
Private collection, Barcelona
Exhibitions
Galerias Layetanas, Barcelona, Spain, Exposición Homenaje a Joaquin Torres-García, December 24, 1949–January 6, 1950, no. 23.
III Bienal Hispanoamericana del Arte, Barcelona, Spain, September 1955, no. 3, as Puerto.
Published References
Maslach, Adolfo. Joaquín Torres-García: sol y luna del arcano. Caracas: UNESCO, 1998, ill. p. 127, no. 40.
Sureda Pons, Joan. Torres-García: Pasión Clásica. Madrid: Akal Arte Contemporáneo, 1998, ill. p. 29.
Torres-García, Traços de Nova York. Rio de Janeiro, 2010. Exhibition catalogue (2010 Caixa Cultural), ill. p. 75.
Record last updated August 22, 2023. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: de Torres, Cecilia, Susanna V. Temkin, Madeline Murphy Turner, and Victoria L. Fedrigotti. "Escena portuaria, 1919 (1919.16)." In Joaquín Torres-García Catalogue Raisonné. www.torresgarcia.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=167 (accessed on September 9, 2025).