Miquel Barceló

MIQUEL BARCELÓ (Felanitx, Mallorca, 1957).
"The balance", 1987.
Carborundum, aquatint and etching on paper, copy 15/16.
Signed and numbered by hand.
Measurements: 98 x 150 cm (plate); 110 x 160 cm (frame).

In "La balance", made in 1987, Miquel Barceló displays one of the most characteristic iconographic universes of his graphic production of the eighties: organic and dense still lifes, where the objects - seafood, fruits, utensils - acquire an almost tectonic presence. The composition is articulated around a monumental scale that dominates the scene, a symbolic element that introduces a reading of balance, weight and tension between matter and representation.

The carborundum technique, combined with aquatint and etching, allows Barceló to build surfaces of great tactile richness, with deep blacks and vibrant textures that evoke the physicality of painting. The areas of color -especially the orange accents- burst with intensity over the earthy range, generating focal points of visual energy in an ensemble dominated by matter.

The gestural and almost volcanic treatment of the stroke reinforces the expressive dimension of the work, distancing it from the traditional still life to place it in a territory where the organic merges with the symbolic. The monumentality of the format and the small print run underline the exceptional character of this print within the artist's graphic production at a time of full international consolidation.

Miquel Barceló was trained in Palma de Mallorca and continued his studies in Barcelona, making his debut at the tender age of seventeen. After discovering art brut in Paris, in 1976 he held his first solo exhibition in a museum, at the Museum of Mallorca.

In 1986 he received the Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas and later the Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes, among other international awards. His work is represented in important museums such as the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, among other institutions of reference.