A Visionary of the Catalan Baroque In the vibrant, sun-drenched streets of 17th-century Barcelona, a master was quietly preparing to redefine the spiritual landscape of Catalonia. Antonio Viladomat y Manalt, born in 1678, emerged not merely as a painter, but as a storyteller of the divine. The son of a skilled gilder, Viladomat’s earliest encounters with art were rooted in the tactile brilliance of gold leaf and craftsmanship. This foundational connection to the luster of precious metals would later manifest in his ability to manipulate light, creating canvases that seemed to glow from withi…