Ramon Amadeu

Ramon Amadeu i Grau (Barcelona , 1745 – October 16, 1821) was a Catalan sculptor disciple of Josep Trulls and Lluis Bonifaç i Massó.

Biography
He was baptized in the parish of Santa Maria del Pi on February 7, 1745. Son of Francesc Amadeu and Raimunda Grau. In 1761, he practices the sculptural workshop of Lluís Bonifaç in Valls. On January 21, 1770 he asked to be admitted to the guild of sculptors, architects and entalladores of Barcelona.

On February 1, 1771 he married Magdalena Buxadell and Vilar in the church of Sants Just i Pastor in Barcelona, had 10 children. In 1778 he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando de Madrid where he was liberated from the trade pressures and oriented towards academic Neoclassicism. He resided in Olot, who fled by the French in Olot during the war against Napoleon, where he made images, being the most remarkable a Holy Christ and the Virgin of the first pain of Castelló d’Empúries and a Virgin of the Pieta ; Sant Bru for the Church of Sant Jaume in Barcelona; Santa Teresafor the one of the Holy Just and Pastor; Santa Anna with the Virgin in arms and San Joaquim , a group that wins in the former collegiate church of Santa Anna and that of the late Josep Oriol , for that of San Sever. Virgen de los Desamparados of the Pi church in Barcelona.

Amadeu is considered the most prestigious representative of nativity scenes in Catalonia. He also modeled an endless number of precious figurines for births (Gelabert collection, in Olot). As a nativist, he picked up the baroque tradition and popularized the art by making polychrome terra cotta figures characterized by realism, under the influence of Neapolitan. Amadeu started a local, costumbrista, rural style whose most striking feature was to dress the shepherds’ figures with Garrotxa’s clothing. Tradition that would be followed by other peppers such as Pere Pla and Jacint Casanoves.

The History Museum of Barcelona retains several works that are attributed to it, including several nativity figures and the bust of Pere Virgili taking the plans of the Barcelona surgical school. A large number of his works, present in churches, were destroyed during the Tragic Week or the Civil War : many still have photographs.

He died in Barcelona in 1821 and was buried in the tomb of the trade union of the Church of the Pi.

Style
Amadeus’ work can be divided into two main groups:

Crib figures
Figures for the religious cult
Most of his wooden figures have been lost. Some are known only as a photo. His style contains baroque elements with many neoclassical features. Art historically, his work can be summarized in three categories:

Pure baroque works
Baroque works with neoclassical influences
Purely academic works
Nativity (Catalan: el pessebrisme) existed long before Amadeu in Catalonia. As King Charles III(* 1716, † 1788) arrived from Naples in Catalonia, this tradition got a tremendous boost, because in Naples it was rooted far deeper. Amadeu is considered the leading exponent of this Catalan crib art. The crib figures made of polychromed clay were good experimental possibilities for Amadeu because they were technically simple and quick to produce. Here Amadeu acquired his great creative competence. His work can be characterized particularly well by the following three qualities: 1.) A great love for the natural, 2.) An extremely fine detail work with anecdotal and picturesque features, 3.) A love for small figures. Examples of such nativity figures made of polychromed clay, such as the bagpiper or shepherd with sheep presents the museum Comarcal de la Garrotxa in Olot.

Well-known works
The Mystery of Santa Espina (El Misteri de la Santa Espina, Sailing Guild Barcelona)
Saint Ignatius (el Sant Ignasi, Barcelona Cathedral)
Dead Christ (un Crist diffunt, Figueras)
Saint Anna with the Virgin (and Santa Anna amb la Verge, Barcelona Art Mesmerism)
Ecce Homo (Ecce Homo, Church of Maria del Tura, Olot)
Many nativities figures in the Historical City Museum Barcelona, in other museums of the city, in the Garrotxa Museum, Olot and in several private collections.

Source from Wikipedia