In the 1970s, approaching the end of his life, Pruna continued to be driven by a vital urge to paint. In a letter to his daughter Isabel he declared his intention of carrying on painting until his final days, just like the great masters from the past had done: “It is said that Titian painted at the age of 80 with the same vigour and enthusiasm as ever.” In spite of his already noticeable tiredness, which he himself admitted, he never stopped exhibiting, and in 1972 he had a show in Japan and another one in Sala Parés, where this piece, titled La florista, was displayed.

The female figures in his paintings from this period are characterised by a paused motion, elegantly frozen in a fixed pose. That is the case of the subject of this canvas: the florist is caught in the motion of raising her right arm towards the flowers she is selling, which in turn surround her with a profusion of highly decorative colours. Readily noticeable is the influence of Greek reliefs, probably accounting for the absence of depth in his compositions from his later years, and also of Japanese prints, which inspired him to create some of his drawings. This piece is a good example of the artist’s final period, in which he lent greater emphasis to colour, as well as various drawing techniques such as , watercolour and wax that he started to use more frequently than oil painting in his last years.

Pere Pruna died five years after painting this work, leaving behind the legacy of his serene vision of beauty that endures in his paintings and drawings.