FOUR SEASONS

Exhibition of preliminary drawings for the restoration of the painted figures on the façade of Casa Comella in Vic, by J. Uribe Robert.

This exhibition aims to recognize the authorship of the paintings of the Four Seasons on the façade of Casa Comella, located on Verdaguer Street in Vic, a building constructed by the architect Gaietà Buïgas Monravà at the end of the 19th century.

In early 1987, Vic’s first democratically elected mayor, Ramon Montanyà, commissioned the project, later confirmed by Mayor Pere Girbau, to the painter Josep Llonch, who in turn commissioned the artist Josep Uribe Robert to create the paintings.

Josep Uribe Robert executed the paintings between 1987 and 1989, using the stencil technique, which involves drawing on tracing paper and then transferring the design onto the wall. Fortunately, the originals, owned by Josep Llonch, have been preserved and are displayed in this space.

The original paintings had disappeared, leaving almost only lime outlines. Old black-and-white photographs, owned by Carles Comella and from the photographic archive of Francesc Farrés Malian, served as the basis for reconstructing the images; regarding the colors, people who had seen the paintings were consulted about their visual memory.

The exhibition includes these photographs, as well as those taken by photographer Toni Padrós of Josep Uribe while he was painting, along with current images of the façade’s figures by photographer Manel Gausa, and press articles from the time by M. Àngels Ferrer in Ausona and Juli Pérez in El 9Nou.

It is worth highlighting the quality of the paintings, which have remained intact for 38 years since their creation.

In the exhibition, organized as part of Vic’s Festa Major, visitors can also see the original artwork of the Cap de Llúpia made by the artist for the 1981 Festa Major poster, owned by the City Council of Vic. In 1992, also for the Festa Major, Uribe Robert created another painting for the poster featuring the figure of Saint Michael of the Saints.

In this context, on July 7 at 10 pm, Uribe Robert’s partner, Teresa Monells Oms, will present a poetic performance titled The Four Seasons in front of the Casa Comella façade, recreating the figures with dresses designed and made by her, accompanied by poetry readings and original music created for the occasion.

Anton Granero
Curator of the exhibition