JOSEP CUSACHS I CUSACHS Montpellier, 1851 - Barcelona, 1908 Bersaglieri on horseback Signed I Cusachs and dated 1894 lower left Oil on canvas, 51X37.5 cm Provenance: Italy, private collection Josep Cusachs i Cusachs masterfully blended his military experience with his passion for painting, resulting in works with a realistic, vigorous and richly detailed style. Best known for his equestrian scenes, he is considered a benchmark in Spanish military art, and his canvases continue to be appreciated for their narrative power and excellent technical quality. Born in Montpellier on 19 July 1851, he grew up in Catalonia, entered the Artillery Academy in Segovia in 1865 and participated in the Third Carlist War, reaching the rank of commander. In 1882, he left his military career to devote himself entirely to painting. He first trained in Barcelona under the painter Simon Gomez, and later perfected his skills in Paris, where he was a pupil of Edouard Detaille, the master of French military painting. From him he assimilated the formal precision and dynamism that characterise his most successful works.