Félix Mas

FÉLIX MAS (Barcelona, 1934–2024)
“Backlight.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner and on the back.
Measurements: 44 x 59 cm; 72 x 87 cm (frame).

The female figure, a central motif in Félix Mas’s work, is depicted here through the interplay of profile, color, and light. Set against an intense golden background, the model is enveloped by backlighting that partially blurs her contours and transforms her hair—adorned with small floral motifs—into an extension of the luminous atmosphere.

The composition combines a delicate rendering of the face with a freer, more atmospheric style in the background. The warm tones contrast with the deep greens of the dress, whose surface is articulated by repeated ornamental motifs. This chromatic contrast reinforces the silhouette and allows Mas to present the figure not as an individualized portrait, but as an idealized image of serenity and elegance.

Trained at the School of Arts and Crafts and the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, Félix Mas began his professional career as an illustrator. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for Spanish and Scandinavian publications, and later collaborated with Warren Publishing on magazines such as *Creepy* and *Vampirella*. Beginning in the 1970s, he gradually shifted his focus to painting, developing a visual language centered on the depiction of women and enriched by references to the arts of Japan, India, and ancient cultures.