Miquel Barceló ISMAEL 2ON, 2020

One of Spain’s most acclaimed contemporary artists, Miquel Barceló is known for his relief-like mixed-media paintings and ceramics. The Mediterranean Sea that laps the shores of Mallorca, the island where he was born, features in many of his works. ISMAEL 2ON (2020) shows blues and whites in all their infinite tonalities, with almost cloud-like waves blurring the line between sea and sky. Paradoxically, the artist renders the liquidity of the sea using a dry brush technique to create highly textural, pastose areas of paint, rendering the sea both convulsive and contemplative. Against it, the lighter form of a rowing boat appears in relief, both cradled by the water and at its mercy.