Father of the cartoonist R. Opisso, he was a key figure in the spread of European Sybolism in Catalonia. Through the magazine Ilustración Ibérica (1882-1900), of which he was the editor, he was one of the first to disseminate Symbolist works and theories in Europe.

He was a prominent art critic, writing in the newspaper La Vanguardia, and remained very open-minded in regard to the new generations of artists throughout his career.

He also wrote narrative fiction, such as the novel El alma del mundo (The Soul of the World, 1890), popularising works on history, and works on medicine.