Emilio Frejo Abegón (1931–2013) ‘Paths through the garden’

Oil on canvas. The work is an excellent example of the local customs of the Valencian countryside, directly linked to the luminist tradition of the Valencian school. In the center stands the full-length figure of a young woman from the Valencian countryside, smiling as she walks along a dirt path, carrying two large wicker baskets at her sides. She wears traditional attire: a long salmon-colored skirt, a white apron, a light-colored blouse, and a dark vest or bodice, adorned with a red flower in her hair. To her right runs a subtle irrigation ditch flanked by flowering bushes, and in the background to the left, under the shade of the trees, a scene of agricultural work is sketched out, featuring a horse-drawn cart and several peasant figures. The piece is notable for its loose, impasto, and vibrant brushwork, which masterfully captures the intense contrasts of light and shadow filtered through the vegetation. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner: "E. Frejo Abegón". It is presented in a sumptuous period frame of carved and gilded wood with profuse foliate decoration, baroque scrolls, and relief moldings. Also signed and titled on the reverse "Paths of the Orchard" "M. Frejo Abegón."