Cardona Torrandell

1928-1995

Works

Untitled, 1955

Untitled, 1955

Untitled, 1955

Engine, 1957

Landscape, 1956

Cat - Engine, 1957

Biography

Barcelona, 1928 – Sant Pere de Ribes, 1995

The beginnings of Cardona Torrandell, viewed in perspective, are frankly atypical. A young man absolutely unknown in the cultural environments of the city, who only cultivated painting as a hobby, bursts into the Catalan artistic scene with force.

In terms of training, we can say that Cardona is self-taught, a free spirit who lived outside conventions and rules. None of the jobs he had, nor any of the artistic formations, lasted in time. However, his time at the Institut del Teatre was important.

The first paintings and drawings that we know of him drink from the aesthetic sources of Gimeno and Nonell and already stand out for their miserabilism, for dealing with topics of social scope and for a deep melancholy. In a way, through his work, Cardona anticipates the demands of the sixties, the beginnings of mass society. With his work, he suggests a critical look, an ironic and raw look at the capitalist world.