Artist, writer, poet, theatrical author, graphic designer, musician, multifaceted artist and multifaceted person, Apel·les Mestres stands out for his work in manual arts and the literary and musical spheres. He is one of the grand names in Catalan culture from a large chunk of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century and though he was valued and appreciated during his time, he ended up quite overlooked due to the break out of the Spanish Civil War and the 40 year Francoist dictatorship that ensued.
Apel·les Mestres was born in 1854 in the heart of Barcelona, son of the architect Orion Mestres and Elionor Oños. From a very young age he showed his aptitude as in 1861 he wrote his first theatre play and 1864 his first comedy. It wasn’t until 1874 however, that he sold his first picture and started to work with magazines and newspapers. Prior to that he had studied at the Llotja art school and the Escola de Belles Arts [school of fine arts] and in 1873 had written a sarsuela [a lyrically sung drama] which the Teatre Tívoli bought.
The period which Apel·les Mestres lived through was a time of great change and transformation. Barcelona’s population was growing substantially and the Eixample district was expanding. At the same time, Catalan pride began to take on more significance in political and intellectual spheres and featured heavily in movements such as Aestheticism, Art Nouveau and Noucentisme.
An excellent illustrator, Mestres collaborated with the main publications of the day, such as La Campana de Gràcia and L’Esquella de la Torratxa, and can be considered as a pioneer in graphic design. He also stood out as a songwriter and worked with the finest Catalan musicians and singers of the time, such as Amadeu Vives, Enric Morera, Enric Granados, Emili Vendrell, Conxita Badia, Mercè Plantada and Concepció Callao.
He was a good friend to his friends, a great conversationalist who often organised meetings at his home for cultural evenings which included music, dance and poetry. One of these meetings gave rise to a relationship with the Esbart Català de Dansaires [a traditional Catalan dance organisation] whose logo he designed and which is still in use today. The group organised an exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of his death and defined Mestres thus, “Blessed with exceptional abilities and creative faculties, Apel·les Mestres was a complete artist, with a creativity which is expressed and formed in an array of fields and artistic languages which he cultivated in truly excellent fashion”. As an example of this definition it’s worth noting that as a drama writer he didn’t just write the theatre play, he also created the set and drew the characters for the actors and actresses.
As Montserrat Garrich, curator of the exhibition by the Esbart Català de Dansaires, explains, “Apel·les Mestres knew from a very early age that what he liked most was drawing, but he was a restless man, interested in everything and who excelled at all the media he used”. In the final years of his life he was devoted to his garden and even excelled at this too, becoming a grand expert on hydrangeas and writing a handbook on gardening. He died on 19 July 1936, aged 82.
The Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona (AHCB) conserves the work of the artist, which consists of 13,000 documents including letters, postcards and images. Some sixty documents complement the exhibition ‘Apel·les Mestres, artista complet i home polièdric’ [Apel·les Mestres, complete artist and multifaceted man], which is on until 31 October at the Casa Ardiaca, home of the historical archive.
The plaque reads (Catalan)
"Apel-les Mestres - Nascut a cor de barcelona lla rebut l'homenatge de la ciutat i de tot catalunya y les corporations artistiques es complauen a recordar llo. MCMXXXV"
Translation
"Apel-les Mestres - Born in the heart of Barcelona he received the homage of the city and all Catalonia and the Artistic Corporations are pleased to remember him. MCMXXXV"
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