Jose Vives-Atsara was an American-Spanish painter best known for his landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. Influenced by Realist painter Gustave Courbet, the artist used a palette knife to apply thick layers of paint, creating a dynamic and lifelike texture on top of the canvas. For example, in Calle, Francia (1961), he used wide, thick impasto strokes to depict the rough surface of a medieval stone castle. Born on April 13, 1919 in Vilafranca del Penedes, Spain, he studied at the Colegio de San Ramon where he was shown the works of Diego Velazquez and El Greco, who later became his primary influences. After being forced to serve in World War II against his will, Vives-Atsara left Spain with his wife and moved to Venezuela. Shortly after, he took up residence in Mexico, before obtaining the required visas to settle in the United States. Today, his work is in the collection of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Vives-Atsara died on January 13, 2004 in San Antonio, TX.

Biography source: https://www.artnet.com/artists/jose-vives-atsara/