José Royo

JOSE ROYO, (Valencia, 1945).
"Young woman with still life of flowers".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 46 x 65 cm; 76 x 94 cm (frame).
This work is distinguished by a pictorial treatment of impressionist or post-impressionist filiation, evidenced in the use of loose, dynamic and luminous brushstrokes that seek to capture the variations of light and the chromatic vibration of the environment. The composition presents a female figure seated in a garden, protected by a large hat adorned with flowers, and surrounded by lush vegetation that frames the scene with an air of intimacy and serenity.
The chromatic palette, rich and harmoniously modulated, combines shades of white, green and blue, tinged with accents of red and pink that provide visual balance and atmospheric depth. Through this pictorial language, the artist manages to evoke the transience of perception and sensitivity to nature, characteristic features of impressionist aesthetics, while introducing a contemplative dimension that places the figure in poetic dialogue with its surroundings.
A precocious painter, José Royo began his drawing studies at the age of seven. After studying with the best masters of his city, he entered the School of Fine Arts of San Carlos, and finally completed his studies traveling through the great museums of the world, soaking especially in Goya, Velázquez and the impressionist masters. These influences have marked his pictorial development to the point of becoming himself a master of post-impressionism, heir to Renoir, Sorolla, Monet or Bonnard. The decisive change in his life will come when the painter and his family decide to move their home to the countryside; in a small village near Valencia, Royo builds the house that will bring light and color to his work, which will be an exact replica of his iconography and vice versa, a house full of geraniums and orange trees where the light is precious at every moment of the day, in a different corner. However, the essence of the Mediterranean culture that this artist carries within him demanded, more and more insistently, to paint the sea. Royo then found his second paradise in Mallorca, in the Salmunia cove, where he has moved every summer to paint since the seventies. In parallel, his career will be increasingly successful, first in Spain and soon throughout Europe. The Mediterranean charm shaped by Royo's virtuosity also seduced the Japanese and then the South American market, although it was above all the success in the United States that consolidated this artist as one of the key figures of our time. On the other hand, Royo's eagerness to investigate has led him to explore other fields such as sculpture or silkscreen printing, always accompanied by public recognition. He has also excelled as a portrait painter, portraying the presidents and High Magistrates of the Spanish Supreme Court, aristocratic personalities and His Majesty Don Juan Carlos I for the Spanish Embassy in Japan. Royo is currently represented in the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona, among other collections.