A Matter of taste: A visit by the auditor of the Rota Antoni Despuig to Barcelona in 1785

Abstract

This article reveals and examines, for the first time, an autobiographical text by the auditor of the Rota Antoni Despuig in which he reports a stay in Barcelona (1785). His opinions about the architecture and pictorial decorations in fashion at that time in the city are especially critical. As an enlightened man associated with the Academy of San Fernando and the Majorca School of Drawing, he criticizes the paintings of both Francesc Pla, known as el Vigatà, and Manuel Tremulles, setting them against the work of the students of the Free School of Drawing directed by Pasqual Pere Moles and, particularly against the art of Pere Pau Muntanya. The article poses an important question : Do Despuig’s views express only his personal tastes and preferences, or are they instead a reflection of a deeper aesthetic debate? To answer this second question, local historiographic approaches to this subject, which have been considered valid until now, need to be reviewed.