Symbolism and Modernista Sculpture
One of the most representative elements of Modernisme, the cultural movement that strove to modernise Catalan society and culture and open the doors to Europe, was Symbolism. A decadent form of Symbolism was cultivated in painting by Joan Brull, Sebastià Junyent and Adrià Gual, while Alexandre de Riquer explored the English strain of the movement. Modernista sculpture now came to the forefront, as evinced by the works of Josep Llimona, Miquel Blay, Enric Clarasó and Eusebi Arnau. The four sculptors were influenced by Auguste Rodin, and their Symbolism was embodied by the female figure of a marked idealism able to awaken senses and emotions, as exemplified by the most paradigmatic sculpture of Catalan Modernisme, Josep Llimona's Desolation. This section is completed with The Retable of Love by Julio Romero de Torres, one of the leading figures of Spanish Symbolism.
