Antoni Viladomat i Manalt was one of the leading figures of Catalan art during the first half of the 18th century and one of the fundamental names looked back on in local art since the 19th century. In fact, he was the first painter from Catalonia to have a major monographic exhibition: the one held in Fontanals in 1877.
His father, Salvador, was a gilder originally from Berga who worked in Barcelona. He died in 1687 when Antoni was nine years old. His workshop did not close on his death, but was run by his wife, Francisca. In 1693, Vialdomat i Manalt started an apprenticeship with painter Joan Baptista Perramon, and the first references to his work as an independent master date to the start of the 18th century. They include his vera efigies of St. José Oriol, who died in March 1702. Six year later, Ferdinando Galli da Bibiena arrived in Barcelona accompanying the court of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. Galli’s art influenced Viladomat, as Miralpeix has pointed out, but not to the extent that traditional historiography has asserted. After the War of the Spanish Succession, the artist already had a certain professional standing. There is a gap in the records of his life, but after that time there are many reports of his increasingly important place in the art worlds of Barcelona and Catalonia in general, as his work began to be sought after in other cities including Tarragona, Berga, Girona, Breda, Horta and Mataró. Viladomat produced one of his most important decorative works (circa 1727-1730) for the Chapel of Sorrows at the church of Santa María. Series of religious scenes, some containing many pieces, provided a showcase for his outstanding skills as a narrator and composer and form a very significant part of his oeuvre. Highlights include the scenes painted for the Franciscan convent in Barcelona (Catalan National Art Museum, Barcelona), which consist of twenty paintings on the life of Saint Francis, completed between 1729 and 1733.
His painting is in the late Baroque style and also includes a large number of stand-alone devotional works on a wide variety of subjects. A dozen genre paintings are known, including a series with allegories of the seasons of the year (Catalan National Art Museum, Barcelona) which is one of his most remarkable achievements from an iconographic viewpoint and one of the most attractive in terms of narrative and formal values. In his later years, Viladomat also painted still-lifes and several portraits. Apart from his paintings, over forty drawings have survived, mostly studies for paintings.
Vildamot was also important from the point of view of the history of artistic grievances in Catalonia, as he filed two lawsuits with the Painters’ Professional Association in order to defend his professional rights and extricate himself from the control and restrictions imposed by the guild structure. Through his workshop, he also greatly influenced the development of local painting and many artists, such as Francesc Tramulles, trained under him.
Antoni Viladomat i Manalt was one of the leading figures of Catalan art during the first half of the 18th century and one of the fundamental names looked back on in local art since the 19th century. In fact, he was the first painter from Catalonia to have a major monographic exhibition: the one held in Fontanals in 1877.
His father, Salvador, was a gilder originally from Berga who worked in Barcelona. He died in 1687 when Antoni was nine years old. His workshop did not close on his death, but was run by his wife, Francisca. In 1693, Vialdomat i Manalt started an apprenticeship with painter Joan Baptista Perramon, and the first references to his work as an independent master date to the start of the 18th century. They include his vera efigies of St. José Oriol, who died in March 1702. Six year later, Ferdinando Galli da Bibiena arrived in Barcelona accompanying the court of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. Galli’s art influenced Viladomat, as Miralpeix has pointed out, but not to the extent that traditional historiography has asserted. After the War of the Spanish Succession, the artist already had a certain professional standing. There is a gap in the records of his life, but after that time there are many reports of his increasingly important place in the art worlds of Barcelona and Catalonia in general, as his work began to be sought after in other cities including Tarragona, Berga, Girona, Breda, Horta and Mataró. Viladomat produced one of his most important decorative works (circa 1727-1730) for the Chapel of Sorrows at the church of Santa María. Series of religious scenes, some containing many pieces, provided a showcase for his outstanding skills as a narrator and composer and form a very significant part of his oeuvre. Highlights include the scenes painted for the Franciscan convent in Barcelona (Catalan National Art Museum, Barcelona), which consist of twenty paintings on the life of Saint Francis, completed between 1729 and 1733.
His painting is in the late Baroque style and also includes a large number of stand-alone devotional works on a wide variety of subjects. A dozen genre paintings are known, including a series with allegories of the seasons of the year (Catalan National Art Museum, Barcelona) which is one of his most remarkable achievements from an iconographic viewpoint and one of the most attractive in terms of narrative and formal values. In his later years, Viladomat also painted still-lifes and several portraits. Apart from his paintings, over forty drawings have survived, mostly studies for paintings.
Vildamot was also important from the point of view of the history of artistic grievances in Catalonia, as he filed two lawsuits with the Painters’ Professional Association in order to defend his professional rights and extricate himself from the control and restrictions imposed by the guild structure. Through his workshop, he also greatly influenced the development of local painting and many artists, such as Francesc Tramulles, trained under him.