Ángeles Santos Torroella

Key facts

Lived

1911–2013, Spanish^[1]

Movements

• Las Sinsombrero
• Surrealism

^[1]

Works held in

2 museums

Wikipedia

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• What is Ángeles Santos Torroella known for?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella is known for her painting Un Mundo, which she painted at the age of 18. The large-format oil depicts a dreamlike planet populated by strange figures and is now in the collection of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
• What is Ángeles Santos Torroella's most famous work?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella is best known for *Un mundo*, also called *La Tertulia* (1929^[1]). Painted when she was only 18, the large-scale canvas (measuring 2.95 x 2.98 metres) depicts a group of women without specific identity in a flat, undetailed space. The figures, with their doll-like faces and static poses, evoke a dreamlike or surreal quality. The muted colour palette adds to the painting's unsettling atmosphere. *Un mundo* was exhibited in Madrid in 1930 and caused a sensation, establishing Santos as a leading figure in the Spanish^[1] avant-garde. Despite her youth, critics recognised her unique vision and technical skill. The painting is now part of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía collection in Madrid. It remains one of the most important examples of Surrealism^[1] made in Spain.
• What should I know about Ángeles Santos Torroella's prints?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella was a Spanish^[1] surrealist painter. Her prints, like those of other artists, can be divided into original prints, reproductions, and giclée prints. Original prints are produced by hand using techniques such as woodcut, engraving, or etching. The artist creates the artwork directly, making each print an original. These are often sold in specialist galleries. Offset reproductions, also known as posters, are created using photochemical processes. Giclée prints are fine art prints made using inkjet technology. Canvas transfers involve transferring the image onto canvas, giving it the appearance of a painting. When buying prints, it is important to understand the distinction between an original print and a reproduction. An original print is conceived and executed by the artist as a print, often in a numbered edition, and signed. Each print is individually inked and pulled. A reproduction is a copy of a work originally created in another medium, such as painting or watercolour, and is typically made using photomechanical means. Numbering and signing a reproduction does not make it an original print.
• What style or movement did Ángeles Santos Torroella belong to?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella is often associated with Surrealism^[1], although her relationship to the movement is complex. Spanish^[1] artists of the period engaged with Surrealist ideas in various ways, often resisting direct alignment with André Breton's orthodox version. Santos, along with figures such as Maruja Mallo, participated in the broader European exploration of the subconscious and irrational. Mallo's work, for example, incorporated dreamlike imagery and challenged conventional perspectives, aligning with Surrealist objectives. These artists often combined Surrealist techniques with local artistic traditions, creating a distinct Spanish flavour within the international movement. Santos moved away from Surrealist tendencies later in her career. By the 1980s, she reflected on her earlier work, acknowledging its connection to Surrealism. The political climate of Spain in the 1930s also influenced artists' engagement with the movement, with some embracing its potential for social critique.
• What techniques or materials did Ángeles Santos Torroella use?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella was a painter, and her early works show an interest in surrealism and symbolism. She is known to have worked in oil paint on canvas, creating large-scale compositions. Santos's painting *A World* (1929^[1]) is a good example of her early style; it is a large canvas filled with figures and symbolic imagery. The painting demonstrates her skill in handling oil paint to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Her use of colour and form creates a sense of depth and space, drawing the viewer into the scene. Later in her career, Santos moved away from surrealism and developed a more realistic style. She continued to work in oil paint, but her subject matter became more focused on portraits, still lifes, and depictions of the world around her.
• What was Ángeles Santos Torroella known for?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella (born 1911^[1]) was a Catalan painter known for work that touched on Surrealism^[1], particularly in the 1930s. Her paintings often explored themes of displacement and the decay of the Spanish^[1] countryside. Around 1928^[1], she, along with Alberto Sánchez and Benjamín Palencia, journeyed into the outskirts of Madrid, specifically the poor rural area of Vallecas. These trips inspired a "telluric Surrealist" aesthetic, responding to the territory's conditions. While Sánchez and Palencia focused on nature and renewal, Santos Torroella concentrated on themes of abandonment. Her series *Sewers and Belfries* (Cloacas y Campanarios), created from the slums and outskirts of Madrid, embodies this. These works critique the romanticised view of the countryside, revealing what she saw as Spain's decline. They also express anticlerical sentiments, attributing the country's degeneration to the Catholic Church. Although she moved past Surrealism, she acknowledged its presence in her work.
• When did Ángeles Santos Torroella live and work?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella was a Spanish^[1] surrealist painter and graphic artist. She was born in Catalonia, Spain, on 7 November 1911^[1]. In the late 1920s, Santos gained recognition as a teenage prodigy. Her early work, such as "Un Mundo" (A World) from 1929^[1], demonstrated a mature artistic vision. During this period, she associated with members of the Generation of '27, a group of Spanish artists and writers. During the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, Santos's artistic direction shifted away from surrealism. Later, she developed a more conventional style, focusing on portraits and domestic scenes. Santos continued to produce art throughout her life. She died in Madrid on 3 October 2013^[1], at the age of 101.
• Where can I see Ángeles Santos Torroella's work?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella's work can be viewed in several museums. These include the Museu d’Art Modern (MNAC) in Barcelona, located in Parc de la Ciutadella; the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco in Salamanca, at Calle Gibraltar 14; and the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, found at Av. de Berna 45A. Other museums that may hold her work are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. You may also find her pieces at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. Additionally, the Wolfsonian at Florida International University in Miami Beach, and several UK museums, such as the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, might hold examples of her art.
• Who did Ángeles Santos Torroella influence?+

  It is difficult to identify specific artists who directly emulated Ángeles Santos Torroella's style. The art world has become increasingly pluralistic since the heyday of movements such as Cubism. It is now nearly impossible for one artist to dominate a significant group. However, the institutional legacy of major artists continues through museums, books, and exhibits. Many artists study and revisit the work of earlier masters. For example, the Nicaraguan painter Armando Morales (a winner of the Ernst Wolf Prize as Best Latin American Artist at the V Sao Paulo Bienal in Brazil, 1959^[1]) used Robert Motherwell’s "Spanish^[1] Elegy" series as raw material for his own art. Similarly, Jackson Pollock knew the work of David Siqueiros. Artists may not become direct imitators, but they often fall under the shadow of larger-than-life figures.
• Who influenced Ángeles Santos Torroella?+

  Finding specific influences on Ángeles Santos Torroella is difficult with the passages provided. However, some passages discuss influences on other artists, which may provide a general sense of the artistic milieu of the time. One passage mentions that some teachers in Caracas, Venezuela, introduced their students to Cubism through reproductions in magazines. Although the teachers themselves may not have fully grasped Cubism, they still encouraged their students to explore the unknown in art, which the author appreciated. The author was impressed by a Cubist still life by Braque and subsequently studied Cubism and Picasso. Cézanne and van Gogh also became important to him. He was briefly drawn to Gauguin's colour but was later disappointed when he saw Gauguin's original works in Paris. Another passage mentions that Mondrian, Malevich, Klee, and Albers were important to the author. He sought to add dynamism to Mondrian's works but realised Mondrian had already addressed that issue in Broadway Boogie-Woogie. He also admired Moholy-Nagy, Calder, Marcel Duchamp, and Gabo and aimed to build upon their ideas.
• Who was Ángeles Santos Torroella?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella was born in Granada in 1911^[1]. She studied at the School of Fine Arts of St Elizabeth of Hungary, Seville. Santos Torroella is associated with the Spanish^[1] avant-garde movement. Her work gained recognition early in her career. One of her most well-known paintings, *Un Mundo*, was exhibited in 1929^[1], when she was only 18 years old. Santos Torroella moved to Madrid in 1951. She co-founded the group El Paso. She participated in several international exhibitions, including the Spanish-American Biennials, the Sao Paulo Bienal in 1957, and the Venice Biennale in 1958. In 1959, she received special mention at the Premio Lissone in Milan. Santos Torroella's artistic output includes paintings and other works using painted wire mesh mounted on plywood or in aluminium frames. Examples of these include *Metamorphosis-Blazon*, *Metamorphosis-Mirror*, *Metamorphosis-Small Sun*, and *Metamorphosis-Time*, all created in 1960.
• Why are Ángeles Santos Torroella's works important today?+

  Ángeles Santos Torroella (born 1911^[1]) was a Catalan surrealist painter. Her works are important as examples of avant-garde art produced in Spain during the early twentieth century. During this period, Spanish^[1] artists engaged with international movements such as Futurism. The literary posters of Ernesto Giménez Caballero (Gecé), for example, combined collage, painting, drawing, and writing, and were influenced by Italian Futurist "words-in-freedom" experiments. These posters often referenced contemporary poets and artists, such as Guillermo de Torre and Norah Borges, creating a dialogue between visual and literary culture. Santos Torroella's paintings reflect a similar spirit of innovation and cross-disciplinary exchange. Her surrealist imagery and exploration of the subconscious connect her to a broader European artistic context, while her identity as a female artist places her work within discussions of gender and representation in the avant-garde.