Josep Pijoan and Ismael Smith

Josep or José Pijoan (Barcelona 1880-Lausana 1963) arquitect and  writer in both Catalan and Castillian idioms, author, among others books of history and art, of  the monumental Summa Artis a project conceived by him in the late twenties for which he wrote sixteen volumes starting with  Arte de los pueblos aborígenes and ending with Arte Barroco en Francia, Italia y Alemania. Others distinguished Spanish art historians -headed by Camón Aznar-  completed the project up to volume 38th, Fin de Siglo y los Primeros "Ismos" del XX (1890-1917) Ed.Espasa Calpe, by Simon Marchán . Pijoan was  one of the Barcelona's young intelectuals who backed  the political ideas of the inspired  leader of the Catalan Renaixenca, Enric Prat de la Riba. Ismael Smith soon joined this group and cooperated with them the best he could with his art. He illustrated the printed program of the foundation of the Institut  d´ Estudis Catalans  July 31, 1907 (Fig.1). Pijoan was secretary of the ten members council presided by Prat de la Riba. Later on, probably in 1917, Smith made a bust of the man he most admired which

             F.1 Smith made the doodles while listening the speeches at the new Institute in 1907

 was known only from photographs. Fortunately it has been found by a Barcelona antiquarian. It is impressive in every respect. (Fig. 2 Prat´s bust, right of  Catalan politician Ventosa i Calvel).

As an arquitect Pijoan worked with Smith in the project for a monument to Milá i Fontanals never aproved by the town officials in a decision always lamented by Ismael in his American biographic notes. The professor and the artist resumed their friendship in the new Continent .Pijoan left Barcelona in 1913 to teach at Toronto´s University and later moved to several Colleges in the U.S.A. ending in the  Chicago University. Pijoan was a very interesting man, a polyglot and a poet in Catalan. In his youth in Spain he joined the liberal and progressive Institución Libre de Enseñanza created by Mi don Francisco Giner de los Rios as he called him in the title of a famous book Pijoan wrote as an hommage to the founder. Another book of this kind (Mi don...) honored the Catalan poet Joan Maragall. It is very probably that I.S.and Pijoan met in New York but we can only be sure that they communicated frecquently by post or telephone. On one occasion they exchanged ideas about the ever present problem of the possibility of Catalonia´s independence. I have lost the letters but I took a note of  Pijoan´s answer : "If Catalonia separates from Spain sooner or later will fall into France´s hands".

In another letter Pijoan advises Ismael not to get distracted with small art and drawings and to  concentrate on sculpture. An then he asks him to do a sculpture of a classic theme from the time of the Grecs, a shepherd carrying on his shoulders a ram (F.3)." I know that you can do it beautifully".
Well. As you can see by the illustrations Ismael on two ocassions tried to deal with the challenge but there is not trace of any sculpture. In 1931 he prints a Christmas card for his brother Pedro Juan (F.4)
And much later in Decembre 1955 Ismael returned to the idea and on two  days of December the 16 and the 20 he draws three differents versions of the group, one changing the sex of the shepherd. By signing and dating on the front Ismael seems to decide his favorite model: A naked well built boy holding a staff  carries carefully a small sheep (Fs.5,6,7) .

                                  F.4 1931 Christmas card               F.3 Greco-Roman sculpture MNP

                                    F.5,6

                                     F.7 Signed Ismael Smith