Homage to Julio Larraz

About

The compositional absolutism of his subjects that appear lacking any real dimension, recalls to mind the Surrealist and Metaphysical lessons of great masters, where the expression of a concept was entrusted to allegory, symbolism and to a dream-like world. The apparent calmness, so characteristic of the seascapes as well as in the architecture (whether inhabited or not), echoes the anguish, but also the delicateness of American realism. The solitude of the scenery suggests the idea of a space to lose oneself in, nevermore to be found again. The professional past of Larraz, whose caricatures were published in important magazines, has contributed to foment his sense of irony towards the world of politics. The sharp-edge in his painting is most certainly influenced by the suffered and intricate political situation of his native Cuba. The obsessions and weaknesses of powerful men and women are revealed through dilated proportions, overturned equilibriums, all evinced through intense unreal images. Beyond the variety and diversity of his themes, which are never repetitious, what strikes us the most in Larraz’ works is the use of color: through an ample field of hues, he conveys the illusion of the tangibility of his subjects; he confers an autonomous and active role to their corporeality. This expressive language, singular, visionary and imaginary – which all his works have in common – generates in the viewer a sense of waiting for something unexpressed.