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“Puerile Islands” by Esteban de la Foz, Abstraction, 1996 – Cantabria, Spain
€6,800
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An exceptional large-format work by Esteban de la Foz, undoubtedly the most representative and influential figure in abstract art in Cantabria. Titled "Puerile Islands" and dated 1996, this work falls within the artist's period of experimentation and maturity, characterized by dynamic compositions and gestural, intuitive brushstrokes. During this period, he also introduced elements inspired by nature and the landscape, with series such as "Islands and Coasts," to which this work belongs. He employs a sober color palette, with grayish tones in which the black, blue, and greenish brushstrokes stand out, without much contrast. The artist plays with textures through highly material brushstrokes, laden with pigment, which leave a relief on the canvas suggested by each of his strokes. He frequently made his own pigments so he could manipulate their density and play with how they would act on the support. It is a painting with very marked strokes that allows the viewer to be transported to the creative process of the piece, intuiting its movements and rhythm. Esteban Pérez de la Foz (Santander, 1928-2007) Esteban de la Foz is the artistic name of Esteban Pérez de la Foz Fernández, an abstract painter born in Santander on April 4, 1928. He showed an inclination for art very early on. His first contacts with drawing and painting were self-taught, without appropriate academic training. His style evolved constantly and coherently throughout his career, reflecting his artistic restlessness and openness to contemporary trends. Up to five stages can be identified in his work, each with its own characteristics: The first stage took place around the 1950s, his early years, characterized by late Cubist figuration and Neo-Cubism, with urban landscapes and subjective portraits made with marked lines and faceted planes. Initially, the most influential painters he favored were Velázquez and Goya, until he became acquainted with the work of his fellow countryman, Pancho Cossío. It was then that he decided to make a clean slate. He held his first exhibition at the Galería Sur in Santander in 1954. He obtained a scholarship from the Ministry of Education (1957) and settled in Paris, at which point he began to develop an expressionism linked to an underlying cubism. His color palette during this period is sober, reflecting a structured and rational vision of reality, and experimenting with materials and textures. His second period (late 1950s and 1960s) is characterized by the influence of his time in Paris and his training at the École du Louvre and the Atelier de la Grande Chaumière. His work begins to evolve toward a more abstract formal synthesis. He becomes interested in orderly composition and the interplay of impasto. His Constructivist cityscapes evolved toward large fields of color and geometric forms, anticipating his transition to abstraction. In his third phase (1960s and 1970s), marked by Abstract Expressionism and social criticism, his painting took on a much more expressive character, with increasingly broad brushstrokes and vibrant colors. Many of his works from this period are charged with social criticism or reflect strong existentialist content. The 1980s and 1990s are considered his period of experimentation and maturity. During this period, some of his works bordered on minimalism, without losing expressiveness, through dynamic compositions and motifs inspired by nature and the landscape. After more than ten years of working in total abstraction, in 1985, influenced by American Abstract Expressionism and German Neo-Expressionism, he developed a series of abstract paintings in terms of form, while maintaining, to some extent, figuration with titles, which are responsible for "guiding" the viewer by indicating what they should see. This is precisely what happens with "Puerile Islands." His fifth and final phase (1990s and early 2000s) represents the culmination of his style and the path toward abstraction. He achieves a synthetic expressionism, with rich brushwork and intense, yet always balanced, colors. A musical influence is evident in the rhythm and structure of his later works. His preferred color palette is sober; large splashes of intense color are rarely found in his works, and always as a resource to provide a greater dramatic component. In his latest exhibitions, he maintains his personal signature: a dialogue between form, color, and emotion, with a strong mastery of oil paint and composition. With more than 40 solo and group exhibitions, he has positioned himself as an essential artist of contemporary Spanish art. His career describes a path from early informalism to abstraction. Around 1970, he found his most personal style, characterized by the total liberation of figuration, masterfully experimenting with support and pigments. Support medium: Oil on canvas Title of the work: "Islas Pueriles" Author: Esteban de la Foz Signed in the lower right corner and on the back Style: Abstraction Year: 1996 Country of origin: Cantabria, Spain In good condition according to its age and use Dimensions: 165 x 155 cm. Shipping of the product will be paid by the buyer according to the dimensions, weight, and destination. We will contact you to arrange it and agree on a quote. Shipping costs include custom-made professional packaging; and personalized shipping, with tracking number and guarantee. The buyer will be responsible for paying import duties and associated taxes in the country of destination, if applicable. Please note that the seller is not responsible for any customs charges, as these are levied in the country of destination and the amount payable is determined by that country's customs office. If an export permit is required, the costs are the buyer's responsibility. The cost depends progressively on the value of the artwork to be exported.
In good condition according to its age and use
In good condition according to its age and use
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsGrey, Turquoise, Beige, CremeMaterialCanvasNumber of items1OrientationPortraitArt sizeLargeHeight165 cmWidth155 cm
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Valladolid, SpainOn Whoppah since October 2024 • 1 sale