Martin Chirino

MARTÍN CHIRINO LÓPEZ (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1925 - Madrid, 2019)
"Chronicle of the twentieth century", Velázquez Palace Series.1991.
Etching on paper, copy 15/30.
Stamped by Rafael Rodríguez de Rivera.
Signed and numbered by hand.
Measurements: 49,5 x 97,5 cm, 80 x 116 cm (frame).

In "Crónica del siglo XX", Martín Chirino transfers to the graphic language some of the essential signs of his plastic universe: the curved line, the spiral, the enveloping gesture and the tension between emptiness and movement. The composition, resolved in etching with a great chromatic economy, is articulated from reddish strokes that run across the paper with a circular rhythm, generating an image of symbolic and expansive character.

The work belongs to the series Palacio de Velázquez, linked to the exhibition held by the artist in this Madrid space in 1991. In it we can appreciate Chirino's ability to convert a minimal sign into a form charged with energy, close to his famous sculptural spirals. The line does not function here as a simple drawing, but as a dynamic force: it curves, folds and opens on the white space of the paper.

Martín Chirino was one of the great Spanish sculptors of the second half of the 20th century and a founding member of the El Paso group. His work is characterized by the use of wrought iron, the spiral and symbolic forms inspired by the Atlantic culture, the aboriginal world of the Canary Islands and the international avant-garde. He is represented in important collections and museums, including the Reina Sofía Museum, IVAM, CAAM and the Juan March Foundation.