Antón Lamazares

ANTÓN LAMAZARES SILVA (Lalín, Pontevedra, 1954).
"Hairy", 1986.
Mixed media and collage on wood.
Signed, dated and titled on the back.
Measurements: 122 x 124 cm.

"Peluda" is a powerful example of Lamazares' style, with influences of neo-expressionism and a strong connection with matter and archaizing figuration. The use of wood as support and the mixed media accentuate a sense of roughness and materiality, typical of Lamazares' search for a connection to the primal and the handmade. The composition is a juxtaposition of planes and forms: a textured background, a central plane of lighter color and the figures in the foreground. The large dimensions give it a physical and imposing presence. In the center, a rectangular, slanted plane is attached. The tan yellow rectangle, lighter and smoother than the background, serves as a backdrop for the main figure: a schematic representation of a being with feminine features. The silhouette is thick and clumsy, almost childlike or primitive in style, with a robust body and short legs. The braids are two long bands that fall on the sides of the head, reinforcing the rustic aspect of the figure. Lamazares seeks a direct communication, almost like cave art, where the human figure is represented with an emotional intensity through rough shapes and earthy, sanguine colors.

Painter, sculptor and engraver, Lamazares has worked in Galicia, Madrid and the United States. After becoming known through several exhibitions held in Galicia, in 1980 he made the international leap and held an exhibition in Buenos Aires. He obtains grants and is selected for very restrictive exhibitions, such as the one held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid. His work travels to Brazil, Germany, France, the United States... and before he is thirty years old he is already a celebrity, an essential name in the panorama of young Spanish painting. He is represented in all the contemporary art museums of Galicia, as well as in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, the Caixanova collection and various public and private foreign collections.