La casa de préstecs (The Pawnbrokerage)

This is one of the first works that Rusiñol painted in Paris. In it, Rusiñol depicted a dreary inner courtyard in the centre of the city. The impression of gloom and distress that the place inspires is accentuated by the mourning woman who appears in the background, where the viewer’s eyes are inevitably directed. When the work was displayed in Paris, the critics briefly mentioned it with praise. The longest and most enthusiastic comment came from Miquel Utrillo, then the art critic of La Vanguardia. The work got its title thanks to Utrillo, who was the first to claim that the courtyard might belong to a pawnshop. (Museu del Cau Ferrat, Sitges, 30772)