The different periods that Santiago Rusiñol spent on Mallorca between 1893 and 1923 illustrate the fascination this man of letters and painter felt for the island. His special predilection for the gardens of Valldemossa - Son Moragues, Son Mossènyer, Sa Cartoixa and in particular, the gardens of the Sa Coma estate – is well known. Son Moragues. Sa Muntanyeta belongs to an estate which was owned by the Archduke Ludwig Salvator at the time. He made two versions of this small mountain, the work present in the Es Baluard Collection, and another entitled Font de Minerva (Fountain of Minerva), reproduced in the 1914 edition of Jardines de España.

In Son Moragues. Sa Muntanyeta the intense light of Mallorca penetrates the garden, and marks out a present time for us, a moment without return, defined by the fleeting clouds, the time marked by the sun in the inclination of the shadows in the foreground, and the silhouettes of the cypress trees, common in funerary symbolism. It reveals a silent, resting and solitary garden to us, contemplated from a high viewpoint. The absence of the human figure is remarkable, with only the trace of it present, which we can recognise through the existence of constructions, a fence and plant architectures in the landscape.

In the paintings of gardens from this period, one can see that Rusiñol was seeking new proposals, based on a careful study of things natural, and on the other hand, the lyricism revealed by the artist’s temperament: his emotions, fears and uncertainties due to the passage of time, a key theme in the work of Rusiñol. The painter found a personal style, eschewing traditional compositions, and firmly influenced by Japanese prints.

M.G.