part of the famous social gatherings of the Els Quatre Gats brewery on Carrer de Montsió in Barcelona run by Pere Romeu, a place of social gathering and an alternative art room, and frequented by a young Pablo Picasso. He maintained close friendships with the painter Ramon Casas and the sculptor Enric Clarasó until his death. In the following two decades, his prestige grew in Barcelona despite disagreements with Noucentista artists and critics of the time (notably with the art critic Eugeni d'Ors, who wrote in the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya). In 1917, he was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government. He died in Aranjuez in 1931. Manuel Azaña, president of the Spanish Republic's provisional government, ordered an official funeral in Madrid. Rusiñol was later buried in Barcelona. Pictorial artwork He studied at the studio of the painter Tomàs Moragas, where he learned drawing and various techniques, such as oil and watercolor. He first showed his work at the Sala Parés, in Barcelona, in 1879, in a collective exhibition; he would work with this gallery throughout his life. He also painting landscapes, figures, and literary scenes as opposed to the historical themes which at the time were fashionable. His work often depicted depicting natural scenes of Catalan landscapes. He also painted scenes related to work and of the urban landscape, displaying characters in natural attitudes or engaged in their daily tasks. His work was generally well-received by critics of the time. In 1888 he had his first solo exhibition in the Parés Gallery, published articles in the newspaper La Vanguardia, exhibited for the first time at the Paris Salon, and participated in the Barcelona World's Fair. Gallery See also List of Orientalist artists Orientalism References Further reading Vázquez, Oscar E., "Beauty Buried in its Own Cemetery: Santiago Rusiñol's 'Jardins d'Espanya' as Reliquaries of Aristocratic History." Word & Image 2, no.1 (January–March, 1995), 61–76 External links Web about the Rusiñol Year in Sitges Santiago Rusiñol i Prats An extensive view on the life and works of Rusiñol as painter and writer 1861 births 1931 deaths Burials at Montjuïc Cemetery Painters from Catalonia Catalan-language writers Painters from Barcelona Modernisme writers Modernisme painters Orientalist painters Post-impressionist painters Spanish dramatists and playwrights Spanish male dramatists and playwrights Spanish male poets People of Montmartre