Dijous Sant a Pollença (Holy Thursday in Pollença)

In Rusiñol’s lifetime, Mallorca became a place closely tied to his personality and played a prime role in his work as both a painter and a writer. This work depicts an urban landscape viewed from above, in which the grey tile roofs of the village occupy almost the entire space of the painting. In the middle of the composition, we can glimpse a street where a series of people are walking as they leave the church of Pollença holding candles in their hands. This addition helps to humanise the whole, as it does the smoke rising up from the chimneys. The dramatics of this painting is enhanced by a sky heavy with horizontal, luminous clouds which is reminiscent of some of El Greco’s sky solutions. It is comparable to the sky depicted in the work Magdalena penitent (Mary Magdalene in Penitence) which is on display in the Gran Saló (Main Hall). (Museu del Cau Ferrat, Sitges, 30266)