"LLANGA" by Josep Vallverdú protagonist of YEAR 12 at La Vinya dels Artistes de Mas Blanch i Jové

The Vinya dels Artistes de Mas Blanch i Jové, which was conceived by Josep Guinovart and inaugurated in 2010, celebrates its thirteenth edition this year (it is the 12th year because the year of the beginning dedicated to Guinovart was named Year 0). Currently, it has 16 works on permanent display in the picturesque landscape of La Pobla de Cérvoles and from June 17, a new acquisition will be added.

The artist of the year will be Josep Vallverdú from Lleida and the La Vinya dels Artistes party will be part of the tributes made to commemorate the centenary of his birth. Josep Vallverdú, best known as a writer of narrative for children and young people and as a translator, also excels in personal books in all their registers: biography and autobiography, memoirs, travel books, diaries and, more recently, his most cultivated genre is poetry, thus showing his versatility and talent in several literary areas. Vallverdú is the author of more than three hundred and three works in the first edition alone, as shown in the GeoGrafies exhibition, which shows life and work, curated by Carme Vidalhuguet. During his long career, he has been awarded the Catalan Letters Honor Award, the Trajectory Award, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Sant Jordi Cross, he is also a Gold Medal and Honorary Doctor Cause for the University of Lleida, finalist in two editions of the Josep Pla Award and also finalist of the Andersen Award, which would become like the Nobel Prize in Children and Youth, and is also the Children's and Youth Literature Award of the Spanish Letters. He has also been recognized with the Jaume Fuster of the Association of Catalan Language Writers. The work presented at the Vinya, called "Llanga", is a sculptural representation of a drawing created by the artist. This drawing is a lizard, one of the animals that has been the protagonist of the author's works such as Saberut and Cua-verd. With this work, with the Llanga,
Vallverdú seeks to capture the essence and imagination present in the pages of his texts and bring it to life through sculpture. In fact, Vallverdú has two passions: writing and drawing. One of the fundamental reasons why Josep Vallverdú's work should have a place in Vinya dels Artistes de Mas Blanch i Jové is his affinity with the land. With peasant roots, Vallverdú has direct knowledge of rural life and has demonstrated throughout its career a commitment to the defense and dissemination of peasant culture. Vallverdú enjoys working the land and living in full harmony with nature. Through this work, a symbolic union is established between his love for the land and his literary legacy, thus creating a unique and enriching artistic experience. This work also establishes a happy synthesis with "Poema de l'Home" by Guillem Viladot, a great friend of Vallverdú, a work that is also installed in La Vinya dels Artistes.

In this way, the presence of Josep Vallverdú's work in the artists' vineyard of Mas Blanch i Jové is a well-deserved tribute to one of the most prolific authors of Catalan literature and one of the most recognized, and becomes a tangible representation of his literary imagination and a symbol of his passion for the land, a way to preserve and share his contribution to culture and to inspire other artists and lovers of literature. Animalistics is very present in the work of Josep Vallverdú. In the Bestiolary there is a poem dedicated to the lizard:

The lizard or lamprey
it's all green.
He walks, haughty,
stately, proud.
And everything suddenly goes away
without leaving the tail.

Dogs and cats, animals with which he can live, are the protagonists of his work: Rovelló, the eternal dog or L'home dels gats; but there are also, as protagonists, all other animals in The Conquest of the Neighborhood, A Stranger in the Ark, The Fish Seller, A Horse Against Rome, Three Jackals in the City, En Mir, the Squirrel; Gasand and the Leopard, The Flight of the Falcon, Horse Thieves. He is an author with great sensitivity for animals and ecology. And this is demonstrated by Bestiolari and Bestiolari 2 with drawings by Manuel Cusachs and with forewords, the first by Pep Coll and the second by
Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira. The inauguration that will take place next June 17 has the confirmation of more than 400 attendees, who will have the opportunity to visit other sculptures that are in La Vinya dels Artistes. In addition, it will be possible to see the works permanently exhibited in the cellar, as well as a temporary exhibition entitled "Eyes of War", created by seven Ukrainian artists. Through this exhibition, the harsh reality of the country is shown and an attempt is made to raise awareness of the dangers of war. This last exhibition will be open to the public until July 9.

The party, which will be held on June 17, will consist of an open-air dinner paired with wines from the Mas Blanch i Jové winery, a performance by the Cassigalls Company and music by Jordi Montàñez. Tickets, very limited, were made available to the public at 45 euros and you can also take part in the Mas Blanch i Jové winery's Instagram and Facebook contests to get some of the invitations that are drawn.