Rubén Martín de Lucas

RUBÉN MARTÍN DE LUCAS (Madrid, 1977).
“A Mouse on the Water II,” 2014.
Mixed media on canvas.
Certificate issued by Galería Bat is attached.
The reverse side bears labels from Galería Bat and Alberto Cornejo, Madrid.
Measurements: 100 x 100 cm; 107 x 106.5 cm (frame).
Created in 2014, “A Mouse on the Water II” presents an image of great pictorial expressiveness in which a small floating structure appears isolated in the vastness of Ha Long Bay. The work combines a recognizable depiction of the landscape with a gestural style, where broad areas of color and spontaneous brushstrokes create an atmospheric space dominated by a vibrant pink sky and a water surface of intense shades of blue. The apparent simplicity of the scene conceals a profound reflection on the human scale in relation to the landscape: the small architectural presence, suspended above the water, suggests fragility, transience, and the constant negotiation between human beings and the environment they inhabit.This tension between landscape and human presence is one of the fundamental themes in the work of Rubén Martín de Lucas, who uses the landscape not only as a visual motif but also as a space for reflection on the limits, belonging, and transformation of the contemporary world.
A civil engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Martín de Lucas abandoned his technical career after a trip to India to devote himself to art. In 2001, he was a founding member of the Boa Mistura collective, with which he participated in international projects related to urban art until 2015. From that year onward, he began his solo career, focused on the study of landscape and behavior associated with the territory. His work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Burgos Center for Contemporary Art (CAB) and the Lianzhou Museum of Photography (China), and is part of public and private collections including the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, the AXA Foundation, the BBVA Collection, and the “la Caixa” Foundation.