Felipe Santamans

FELIPE SANTAMANS AÑO (Guadasuar, Valencia, 1951).
“Odalisque,” 1988.
Pastel on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 80 x 120 cm; 109 x 148 cm (frame).

A painter of figures, portraits, landscapes, interiors, and still lifes, Felipe Santamans has mastered both oil and pastel to perfection and is, in fact, considered one of Spain’s finest contemporary pastel artists. His work demonstrates continuity with classical styles while embodying a personal renewal. His work is therefore classical in style, though it is not without certain Impressionist traits, which are particularly evident in his landscapes. His images are intimate and rich in expressiveness, dominated by warm tones and subtle lighting effects; stripped of all superfluous embellishments, they are natural and simple paintings in which form often serves as a pretext for playing with light and color. A precocious painter, Santamans began studying art under the tutelage of some of the most important painters in his region, and by the age of fourteen he was working with the famous pastel artist Benjamín Suria. He began his formal training at the Barrera Academy in Valencia and continued it at the School of Fine Arts and the Fuster Academy. In 1968, he met the painter José Espert, whom he considers his true mentor. The following year, he made his debut in a group exhibition, and he soon set aside oil painting to focus on pastel, which fascinated him because of the transparency and brilliance of its colors, as well as the degree of subtlety it allows in the interplay of light and shadow. His work is currently represented in collections throughout Europe, South America, and the United States.