Lot 79: The mussel pickers

Benito Rebolledo Correa (Chilean, 1880-1964) The mussel pickers signed 'B.Rebolledo Correa' (lower left) oil on canvas 39 ¾ x 62 ½ in. (101 x 159 cm.)

101 x 159 cm.

Benito Rebolledo Correa was interested in art from a young age; he studied painting, sculpture and drawing at the night school during his teenage years. At fifteen he moved to Santiago where he lived with a group of artists. Correa devoted his life to his two passions: boxing and painting. Breaking away from the artistic tradition before him, his large canvas hints towards the concerns of the dawning impressionist movement. Just as he uses a sense of boldness and urgency in the boxing ring; so too on this large canvas we see him using urgent yet dexterous brushstrokes and a boldness in his use of colour.