The Art Out There: Ortega López

Why it is that certain pieces of well executed realism have the power to move me, as these do, while others leave me cold, may remain forever something of a mystery. Certainly these paintings evoke a potent atmosphere. The emptiness of the scenes is suggestive, for such scenes are rarely so empty in our actual experience. This lends them an emotional quality that resonates for me. They carry in them more than a hint of loneliness or, perhaps, contemplative isolation. His compositions heighten the effect being both austere and graceful in their formality. The craftsmanship is no less exceptional. Subtle value shifts in what would otherwise be an empty part of the composition are brushed in roughly but with absolute confidence, just as a landscape painter must play with the subtle variations in hue and tone in a distant field. Ortega López brings the same effort and understanding to a concrete floor or a patch of dirt. To be sure, much of this is all part of a clear traditional academic approach. But few artists employ these techniques so well, and most who do are so captivated by the more traditional subject matter of bucolic landscapes that we rarely get to see contemporary scenes executed with equal grace.

See more at his website: ortegalopez.com (in Spanish and English)
or check out his blog ortegalopez.blogspot.com (in Spanish)

And definitely click on these images to view them larger.