; died 1894 in Olot

Olot

Olot is the capital of the comarca of the Garrotxa, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.- Etymology :The etymology of Olot is not clear and there are several hypotheses...

, Spain) was a Catalan

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

 painter. He is one of the most well-known 19th-century painters of the Catalan countryside.

Biography

Vayreda studied drawing in Girona, in the Fine Arts School of Olot

Olot

Olot is the capital of the comarca of the Garrotxa, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.- Etymology :The etymology of Olot is not clear and there are several hypotheses...

, and in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

. In Barcelona he met Martí Alsina, with whom he later collaborated. In 1868, he moved to Olot, where he created the Olot school

Olot school

The Olot school of landscape painting is a group of painters that created an artistic style in the second half of the 19th century. It includes not simply artists from Olot , but all artists whose artworks were inspired by the countryside of Olot...

, devoted to painting the surrounding countryside. Between 1871 and 1874, he lived in France, having exiled himself due to the Third Carlist War

Third Carlist War

The Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is very often referred to as the Second Carlist War, as the 'second' had been small in scale and almost trivial in political consequence....

. There he became acquainted with the Barbizon school

Barbizon school

The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...

. Upon returning to Olot, he became the provincial deputy of Girona, at the same time as he gained success as a painter.

Work

Vayreda's early work consists primarily of religious scenes and costumbrismo. Only later did he dedicate himself to landscape painting. His work is considered a precursor to the avant-garde

Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

 in Spain. His Olot Landscapes (Paisajes de Olot) resemble a Catalan version of Camille Corot, particularly after his encounter with the Barbizon school. His works are dominated by browns, ochers, greens, and earth tones. His works include Procesión de colegialas, La siega, La primavera, Los primeros pantalones (1871), El bautizo y el verano (1877), and Flores de abril (1881). Apart from oil paintings, Vayreda also made ink drawings, watercolors, and etchings.