Catalogue Entry
Published under the pseudonym Xenius, to whom this painting is dedicated, Eugenio d'Ors wrote his most famous book, La ben plantada (The Well-Planted One) in 1911. La ben plantada is an allegory of Catalunya and one of the primary literary works of the Noucentisme movement. Significantly, the book includes a description of this painting by Torres-García among its passages: "On another occasion, the landscape is thus composed: In the back, a low tranquil hill. On the left, a solitary, strong tree. On the right, a small farm. Near the tree rests a cart, its handles aloft and silhouetted against the light. Two men drive slowly from the cart to the house, one in front and one behind a fine mule with a white belly. This scene is taken from a small canvas by Torres García and guides our understanding today of the dedication of The Well-Planted One
("En otra ocasión, se compone así el paisaje: En el fondo, una baja colina tranquila. A la izquierda, un árbol solitario y fuerte. A la derecha, una alquería enana. Cerca del árbol, un carro reposa, con los brazos en alto, recortándose, finamente, a contra-luz. Dos hombres, uno delante y otro detrás de un mulo fino, de blancuzca panza, lo van conduciendo poco a poco y en silencio desde el carro a la casa. Esta escena, la copia la realidad de una pequeña tabla admirable de Torres García. También la contempla hoy nuestro entendimiento bajo la advocación de la 'Bien Plantada' "). (p. 74 of La bien plantada, 1913 translated edition from Catalan into Spanish by Rafael Marquina.)