José Luis Checa Galindo

JOSÉ LUIS CHECA GALINDO (Valencia, 1950).
“The Watermelon Seller,” Venice.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner. Signed, dated, and titled on the reverse.
Measurements: 46 x 55 cm; 69 x 78 cm (frame).

A self-taught artist, Checa began his career with the Pont de Fusta group. In his early years, he won first prize in the Valencia Speed Painting Contest, and from that moment on, he burst onto the art scene with overwhelming force. Since then, he has been known, praised, and imitated. He has been exhibiting his work since 1973, when he made his debut at the Valencian Press Association. The following year, he held his first solo exhibition at the Hoyo Gallery in Valencia. Checa typically paints from life, reinterpreting what he sees, and later refines his work in the studio while remaining true to his initial impressions. He has been awarded the First National Tabacalera Gold Medal for Painting (1981, 1982, and 1983) and the First Prize in the Sot de Chera Open-Air and Rapid Painting Competition (1982 and 1984), and in 1985 he was featured in the Caja de Ahorros Book of Valencian Painters.