In the forties, Pruna experienced a period of inner peace which is conveyed in his highly serene painting of the time.

Following several personal and artistic crises, in 1941 he decided to seek refuge in Montserrat. During his time at the monastery, in various stays, the painter said that he found “true freedom”. This sense of inner peace comes across in his painting, which included religious themes at the time, as well as in the main subject matter of his practice, namely the female figure.

Nena amb flors (Girl with Flowers) in an oil on canvas painting that captures the artist’s serene gaze on youth and beauty. In this portrait, Pruna depicts a young woman in front of a rosebush laden with flowers in bloom, using it to frame and highlight the age and beauty of the sitter. The idealisation of the girl’s features and the soft chiaroscuro modelling her face is reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance, more specifically Piero de la Francesca (ca. 1415-1492). The comparison of this painting with Dos Nens, also in the BBVA Collection, shows us how his style has changed, dispensing with the use of lines to contour silhouettes and instead now using just chiaroscuro and stains of colour.

In his female portraits, Pruna shows us his personal way of looking at women, who were the subject matter of most of his paintings. Women painted in tune with contemporary aesthetics, but seen through the gaze of someone with an insight into the past, an aspect that helped to boost Pruna’s prestige as an artist.