Rafael Alonso Fernández

RAFAEL ALONSO FERNÁNDEZ (Pontevedra, 1925–1995).
“Seascape.”
Mixed media on cardstock.
Formerly in the BBVA collection.
Measurements: 56 x 88 cm; 88 x 107 cm (frame).

Rafael Alonso Fernández was a Galician painter who specialized in watercolor. Although he began studying architecture, he soon abandoned those studies to pursue his artistic calling, beginning to exhibit as early as 1947 in Vigo and Pontevedra. In 1952, thanks to a scholarship, he moved to Paris to live and study for two years, gaining firsthand exposure to the avant-garde movements (Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, etc.). His familiarity with these movements is clearly evident in the style of this still life. The flowers form an explosion of color against the simple line that evokes the vase’s oval shape. The flat treatment of the painting—which eschews any reference to Renaissance perspective—as well as the unreal, vibrant colors speak to the Fauvist influence on the artist’s style. His work is held in private collections (Canada, Cuba, the United States, France…) and in prominent institutions such as Spain’s Paradores Nacionales de Turismo, the BBVA Collection, the Provincial Museum of Pontevedra, the Municipal Museum of Quiñones de León in Vigo, etc.