MEIFRÉN Y ROIG, Eliseo
(b. 1859, Barcelona, d. 1940, Barcelona)

Biography

Catalan painter. He was the pupil of Antonio Caba (1838-1907) at the art college in Barcelona. He specialised in Impressionist marine painting

Like many of his Spanish contemporaries, Eliseo Meifrén y Roig was lured to Paris in the fin de siècle to experience the city's vibrant artistic community. There he discovered the work of the Impressionists and Symbolists which would have a great influence on his own stylistic development. Throughout his life, Meifrén played with the principles of en plein air painting, whether he was looking to capture the streets of Paris or the canals of Venice. While his extensive travels resulted in a great number of well-received works, Meifrén's best-known images are those inspired by his native Catalonia. The region's distinctive rocky coast, open sea and small fishing towns appear in many of his paintings filtered through a dreamy lens of swirling brushstrokes and striking modulations of colour.

While in Paris he regularly exhibited at the Salon and at the Galerie Petit. He worked also in Italy, the Canaries and the Balearic Islands. He was director of the art school in Palma de Mallorca.