Óscar Domínguez

ÓSCAR DOMÍNGUEZ PALAZÓN (La Laguna, Tenerife, 1906 – Paris, 1957).
“Composition with Figures,” 1950.
Pencil and ink on paper.
Accompanied by a certificate issued in 2011 by Ms. Ana Vázquez de Parga.
Signed and dated.
Measurements: 31.5 x 24 cm; 57.5 x 51.5 cm (frame).
This surrealist composition reflects one of the most characteristic aspects of Óscar Domínguez’s creative universe: the fusion of recognizable elements and forms born of the imagination, in a visual language where figuration and abstraction coexist. The work presents an ambiguous, dreamlike space populated by images that evoke magical, mechanical, and symbolic associations, inviting the viewer to enter a reality situated between sleep and wakefulness.
A key figure in the Spanish avant-garde of the 20th century, Óscar Domínguez was part of the so-called Generation of ’27 and spent much of his career in Paris, a city he first visited in 1927. There he came into contact with the Surrealist circle led by André Breton, quickly becoming one of its most prominent members. His contribution to the movement was decisive, especially thanks to his invention of the decalcomania, a technique based on creative automatism that involved compressing paint between two sheets of paper to generate unpredictable forms. This technique was enthusiastically embraced by the Surrealists and subsequently exerted a notable influence on movements such as Abstract Expressionism.
In the mid-1930s, Domínguez actively participated in some of the major international Surrealist initiatives. In 1935, he took part in the historic Surrealist Exhibition in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and a year later, he presented several of his works at the famous Exposition Surréaliste d’Objets held in Paris. During these years, he also developed what is known as the “theory of the petrification of time,” a visual exploration based on crystallized forms, angular structures, and mineral-like patterns that suggested the suspension of time and the transformation of matter.
Although he lived most of his life in France, the volcanic landscape and geography of the Canary Islands remained ever-present in his imagination. Many of his works evoke arid landscapes, rock formations, and mineral horizons that recall his homeland, reinterpreted through a surrealist sensibility. The Spanish Civil War forced him into exile in France, where he continued to pursue an intense artistic practice.