Pau Roig Cisa 1879-1955
Born in Premià de Mar in 1879, Pau Roig Cisa entered the Barcelona School of Fine Arts in 1894, where he studied under the painter Francesc Torrescassana for two years. Shortly afterwards, he completed his training with a study trip to Madrid, where he discovered the masterpieces of the Prado Museum and developed a profound admiration for Velázquez.
From 1896 onwards, he exhibited at the Barcelona Fine Arts Exhibition and, the following year, at the Sala Parés, the city’s oldest art gallery, as a member of the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc, an avant-garde group founded shortly before by the brothers Joan and Josep Llimona.
In 1899, Pau Roig Cisa won a competition organised by L’Esquella de la Torratxa to design the cover of its almanac. He subsequently devoted himself to illustration and contributed to several magazines, including Hispania, La Ilustración Artística, Iris and Blanco y Negro.
After settling in Paris in 1901, he produced drawings for L’Assiette au Beurre, Le Rire and Frou-Frou. Between 1902 and 1911, he exhibited regularly at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Salon des Indépendants, producing numerous scenes of popular life inspired by the nightlife of the French capital.
The circus, in particular, inspired a remarkable series of twenty colour lithographs around 1906–1907. Marked by the influence of Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas, the series enjoyed considerable success
After returning to Catalonia, he participated in exhibitions organised by the group Les Arts i els Artistes in 1922 and 1923. Between 1923 and 1932, he devoted himself to etching, refining his technique under Luc-Albert Moreau. Inspired by the Catalan landscapes of the Maresme region and by Normandy, his prints demonstrate great technical mastery and reveal the lasting influence of Rembrandt.
Forced to abandon printmaking in 1932 because of failing eyesight, he returned exclusively to painting during the final years of his career, developing an openly Cézannesque style that was highly praised by critics.