Feliu Elias facts for kids
Feliu Elias i Bracons (born October 7, 1878 – died August 1948) was a talented artist from Catalonia, Spain. He was known as a caricaturist, a painter, and an art critic.
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Early Life and Artistic Beginnings
Feliu Elias was born in Barcelona. He began his art studies at the Hoyos Painting Academy. He also studied at the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc in Barcelona. These schools helped him develop his artistic skills.
Becoming a Popular Caricaturist
In the early 1900s, Feliu Elias became very popular as a cartoonist. He used the pen name Apa for his drawings. Starting in 1902, he drew for the magazine Cu-Cut!. In 1908, he even started his own funny magazine called Papitu.
He also published his cartoons in many other magazines. These included L'Esquella de la Torratxa, El Senyor Canons, and Mirador. In 1911, he had to move to Paris. This was because some of his drawings in Papitu had upset the government.
Wartime Cartoons and Recognition
During World War I, Feliu Elias drew cartoons that supported the Allied countries. These drawings were collected in a book called Kameraden. His work earned him a special award from France. It was called the Cross of the Legion of Honor.
In the 1920s and 1930s, he drew a daily cartoon for La Publicitat. This was a major newspaper in Catalonia. He also wrote a book about how to draw caricatures. It was called L'Art de la caricatura (The Art of Caricature).
An Important Art Critic
Feliu Elias also became a respected art critic. He used another pen name for this work: "Joan Sacs." He wrote many articles about art for Catalan newspapers. He also wrote several books about art.
His Unique Painting Style
Besides cartoons and criticism, Feliu Elias was also a painter. He painted in a style called Magic Realism. This style makes everyday things look a bit mysterious or dreamlike. His paintings often showed still lifes, which are pictures of objects. He also painted portraits of people and beautiful landscapes.
Some art experts have compared his painting style to the German New Objectivity movement. One critic even called him "our Félix Vallotton" in a way. This shows how unique and important his art was.
Lasting Legacy
The famous writer Josep Pla wrote about Feliu Elias. He included him in his book Homenots, which features portraits of important people. This shows that Feliu Elias was a very respected figure in Catalan culture.
