Joan Junceda


Joan Junceda, full name Joan García Junceda i Supervia, was one of the most important Catalan artists and illustrators in the first half of the 20th century. His father was from Asturian origin. Junceda worked in many publications, including ¡Cu-Cut!, Papitu, Picarol and En Patufet.

Biography

After not being able to pass the tests in order to join the Spanish Army, Joan Junceda taught himself drawing while working at the offices of the El Siglo shopping center in Barcelona. There he became part of the team that was illustrating the shop's catalogues.
He published his first drawing in ¡Cu-Cut! on Christmas eve 1902 under the pseudonym Ribera.
Junceda illustrated the "Historietes Exemplars" series, a collection of stories with a moral lesson compiled by Josep Maria Folch i Torres, which were published for the first time in "L'Esquitx" magazine. His most well-known work, however, would be the illustrations he did for "Bon Seny", a compilation of the oral lore regarding seny, an archetypal Catalan virtue, that was undertaken by writer Josep Abril i Virgili encouraged by Josep Torras i Bages, bishop of Vic. Bon Seny contains aphorisms, fables and humorous stories based on the rural traditions of Catalonia. It was published in the Catalan language before the Spanish Civil War and the book became rare during General Franco's era, when so much Catalan printed material had been burned and printing in Catalan was severely restricted.. After the war Junceda worked making deluxe drawings, even illustrating the francoist book "Santa Tierra de España", de José Muntada Bach.
In 2003, the Professional Association of Catalan Illustrators introduced the Premis Junceda, named after this artist in acknowledgment of his work as a renovator of contemporary illustration. A monument in honor of Joan Junceda made by Alfons Pérez i Fàbregas stands now in the Rambla de Catalunya, Barcelona.