JOAN CARDONA I LLADÓS (Barcelona, 1877 - 1957). "Lady with mantilla", Oil on canvas. Signed in the lower right corner and on the back. Measurements: 100 x 81 cm. In this corresponding work, Cardona represents a lady with an elegant pose, placed in profile, covered by a delicate dress very much in the fashion of the time at the end of the 19th century. The woman looks towards the viewer, showing her face from the front. Despite the forcefulness and simplicity that characterise the woman, Cardona gives the scene a narrative quality by placing her on a chair. Trained at the Escola de Belles Arts de la Lonja and at the Baixeras Academy in Barcelona, he furthered his studies in Paris, where he settled for several years. In the French capital he formed a group with the best illustrators of the time, such as Cappiello, Sem, Steinlen and Roubille. A painter and draughtsman, he developed an important activity in the field of illustration, collaborating with Spanish magazines such as "El Gato Negro" and "Hispania", and in the French magazines "Le Rire" and "Simplicissimus". His collaboration with "Jugend", the flagship magazine of Viennese modernism, the Jugendstil, stands out. During his Parisian period Cardona achieved international fame thanks to his pen drawings, characterised by the sharpness of the line and strong expressive values. On the contrary, in his painting he subordinates line to colour, with warm tones in his early years and cold ranges in his maturity. His paintings, of great expressive force and dense impasto, define the prominence of women, who are outlined against vibrant, almost abstract backgrounds, in a style that brings him close to Anglada Camarasa. In 1897 he was awarded a prize in the competition organised by the Mariana Academy of Lleida. He exhibited in Paris at the Salons d Automne and the Salons de la Societé Nationale, obtaining the title of "societaire" at both. He took part in the International Fine Arts Exhibitions in Barcelona in 1907 and 1929. He is represented in the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris.