LANDSCAPES
Field
of poppies
2006
147 x 97 cm
acrylic on canvas
In our country,
the colors you see most are greens and yellows, also earth,
ochres and browns. At the end of February or beginning of
March, the almond trees blossom and many fields are
transformed with the white splendour of the flowers and the
air is heavy with the smell of honey. In the spring, in the
dry lands, the cereals coat broad stretches of land with a
green blanket. Different tones of green that turn golden
towards the end of May and June, getting ready for harvest.
The summer is dry, the toasted whites and yellows of the
stubble. The vines offer us a spectacle of golds and
violets in the autumn. And the sky, immense, always playing
with the blue, white, pink, orange and violet... But red
usually only appears very localized in small patches. The
poppies are undoubtedly the outstanding natural element. We
can see them in the fields, but always in the midst of the
crops or the verges, sprinkling the landscape with the
complimentary contrast between their intense red and the
greens. However, sometimes, exceptionally, some fields are
literally covered with these fragile flowers. Then the
spectacle is fascinating, the visual impact is so strong
that it is hard to believe that that a representation of
this can be realistic.
In this work, I have tried to
simplify everything as much as possible, converting the
canvas into a geometric pattern of primary colors,
apparently closer to minimalist abstraction than to
figurative representation, but with the essence of what I
saw.
Landscape
in La Segarra
2004
116 x 89 cm
acrylic on canvas
The
fields in the Segarra take on their most attractive
appearance during the spring months. The bright yellow
flowers of broom appear on the hillsides; on the edges of
the fields first there is wallrocket, white; also sun
spurge and dandylions; then comes thyme with its exquisite
perfume, later the mallows and poppies; some ash-coloured
fumitory bushes, and, in some hidden corners, you might
even find little groups of daffodils. In the fields, the
cereals take on different hues of green, always bright,
magnificent and attractive. In this landscape, like brief
brush strokes, some almond trees appear on the margins and
there are still some clumps of evergreen oak. However, here
and there, we can see rape seed fields whose intense yellow
stands out, strikes your sight and that creates an intense
chromatic contrast with such a blue sky and with those wide
flat horizons. The white clouds are hurried across the sky
by the wind. In a short time, the arrival of summer will
change these colors drastically. An austere land, but with
infinite riches.
Red
river
2004
116 x 89 cm
acrylic on canvas
In the Pyrenees,
you can find old abandoned iron mines. On a trip to
Andorra, I went for a walk up a path that leads from Ordino
to the mines of Llorts. A lovely quiet path that follows
the river Valira del Nord. Along this track, now called the
Iron Path, sculptures have been installed related to the
old activities of iron smelting at the forge further up the
mountain. The little river has a special beauty as the
stones on its bed are covered in reddish colors as a result
of the iron oxides carried by the water springing from
these mountains.
Contemplating the river, in one of the
many tranquil spots, is a captivating spectacle of colors.
The reds and ochres of the rocks, the greens of the
vegetation that flourishes there, the reflections of the
trees, the sky and the clouds on the surface of the
crystalline water. The caprices of the lichens and mosses,
all accompanied by the murmur of the water running
downstream. A path and the river, an oasis for the
senses.
Posta
de sol, Barcelona
2005
130 x 89 cm
acrylic on canvas
Beside the sea,
some afternoons, spectacular cloud formations spring up. On
a sunny day, the water of the sea evaporates and
accumulates in great masses of cloud. During the day they
appear white or dark blue if they are very thick and large.
But when the sun goes down, its weakened rays light these
clouds from the west; a multicolor spectacle rises in front
of our eyes. It is a huge overwhelming vision. Yellows,
ochres, reds, whites and purples paint a dream castle in
the backdrop of blue sky. To the east, and the glass of the
windows in the building in the foreground, the shining
western sky is reflected, where the sun vanishes over an
orange horizon. An ephemeral spellbinding vision.
This
urban scene, typical of Barcelona, allowed me to do a study
of the colors of the sky with its infinite range of shades
and transparences.
Plaça
Major de Tàrrega
2004
195 x 114 cm
acrylic on canvas
Midday in May,
in the Plaça Major in Tàrrega. The streets are empty and
everything is quiet. People are having lunch or sleeping
the siesta. Only two elderly people are crossing the square
slowly. The sun is strong and they don’t stop. The scene is
a strong contrast between light and shadow. On one side,
the warmth of the stone on the ground and the sunlit
facades and, on the other, the purple and ochre shadows of
the houses where the sun doesn’t reach. And the sky, an
immaculate, generous and splendid blue.
The bustle of
everyday life prevents us from contemplating the beauty of
our surroundings, especially with regard to the enormous
range of shades of color. But, if we stop for a moment and
look around, if we look with a sensitive eye, we can
discover the infinite wealth of colors that the light
reflects.
An interesting
characteristic of this work is that it shows, perhaps for
the first time, the whole square in a single image. In
fact, it is a flat projection (called equirrectangular) of
the sphere surrounding the observer. This type of
projection always causes distortions, especially the upper
and lower extremes (the poles), but which we can correct if
we can wrap it up again in a sphere. If the image was big
enough and we could get inside it, we would be able to see
the entire square around us. I am sure that the Renaissance
masters would be fascinated by these new perspective
techniques.