http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistApril 2016 15
in the attempt I continue to learn about myself, about the
people that become the subjects of my paintings and about
painting itself. And this is my motivation for painting.The idea
We have all experienced, at some time or other, how a
sudden traumatic event can appear to halt the inexorability
of time and create a vacuum for reflection and self-analysis.
In this project I focus on people from different walks of life
who, after a fall of no major consequence, find themselves
briefly suspended in time. Their fall may be caused by a
slight distraction, by rushing around or other mundane
circumstance, but the sudden shock to their system andThe Fall – Waiter,oil on linen, 25^1 ⁄ 2 333 ⁄ 4 in (65 85cm).
My model, Carles, is not a waiter, but I thought that his situation
represented a generation of people who have lost their dreams. Spain
is a country trapped in a deep economic crisis. Carles has a degree but
he wanders from one temporary job to another. Not wanting to leave
his city Valencia and emigrate, he knows that it is going to be difficult
to find what he wants. I painted him as a waiter because that is a
typical job that graduates do while trying to find one more
appropriate for their expertise. Carles is very expressive; in reality he
is a very lively and cheerful person, but I cannot help seeing in his
situation and in that of many other friends who live in Spain, the
shadow of a generation with shattered hopesThe Fall – Skater,oil on linen, 25^1 ⁄ 2 333 ⁄ 4 in (65 85cm).
I saw this young guy fall over while skating in Barcelona and I asked
him if he could pretend to fall again for some photos – he kindly
agreed. In the painting I changed the colour of the T-shirt from black
to red, in order to make him stand out; for impact I also changed the
letters on the T-shirt, substituting ‘Roma’ for ‘Rebel’First sketch for The Fall – Waiter
I originally imagined a female waiter, then changed my mindconsequent interruption of routine activity, prompts these
individuals to reassess matters and might even reveal
deeper truths about their own lives.
The peculiarity is that I portray no trace of surprise in their
faces. These people accept their impotence against life
events, their inner world being tormented by bigger
preoccupations. Their actual physical fall is just a symptom,
a manifestation of a more important fall, perhaps a failure of
their hopes and dreams. Interrupted in their daily work or