Selections of paintings 2010-2011

The intersection of worlds

 

People who are familiar with the paintings I did between 1991 and 2009 may be surprised to notice the radical change of style that I am inaugurating in this new stage of my artistic work. After 18 years of working in a style that evolved slowly, I felt the need for a change driven by a desire to renew my artistic language. 

 

The remodelling I undertook of my studio, which included the installation of a large window, as well as my incursion into photography and digital media, showed me the way. Through this new glass window, natural light burst into my creative space with renewed strength, allowing me to take a series of photographs of live models that served as the basis for creating the compositions of the works in this exhibition. To paint the images that complement the main characters in these paintings I used photographs as a reference.

 

My affinity with Surrealism and Magic Realism continues to be important in this new series of paintings. Therefore, in front of these works, the viewer will be faced with the task of freely interpreting multiple intersections of disparate images interacting together on the same pictorial plane. I present here not only intersections of images of different types and origins but also a challenging interplay of signifiers and meanings.

 

In addition to Surrealism and Magic Realism, my admiration for the European Baroque painters, Caravaggio, Zurbarán, de Ribera, Rembrant and Vermeer, among others, inspired the approach to light, chiaroscuro and atmospheric effects that I employ in these compositions. From the misty atmosphere that surrounds my figures emanates the poetry that I try to express in these paintings.

 

Rafael Trelles