Manuel Salinas

MANUEL SALINAS MILÁ (Seville, 1940- 2021).
Untitled.1998.
Oil on canvas.
Signed on the back.
Provenance: Alejandro Sales Gallery.
Measurements: 60 x 60 cm.

Salinas, key figure of the Andalusian abstraction linked to the pictorial renovation of the seventies, developed a painting centered in the spatial construction and the material vibration of the color. In this work we can appreciate his interest in architecture as an interior metaphor: closed, intimate spaces, where the light models the plane and the gesture remains controlled.

The geometric structure, almost scenographic, is crossed by a wide dark strip that introduces tension and depth, generating a dialogue between light and shadow. The palette, dominated by ochers, creams and bluish grays, reinforces a silent and restrained atmosphere, characteristic of his mature language.

Manuel Salinas is a fundamental figure of contemporary Spanish abstraction. In 2003, two retrospectives celebrated his career: one in Seville, organized by Caja San Fernando, and another traveling around Europe, which began in Sofia under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His work is part of important collections such as the Reina Sofía Museum, the La Caixa Foundation, the Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art and museums in Valladolid, Madrid and Tenerife, as well as prestigious private and corporate collections. In addition, two of his pieces were selected by the critic Francisco Calvo Serraller in "The hundred best works of the twentieth century" (2001), consolidating his relevance in Spanish contemporary art.