In difference, I always find strength and in art, something that deserves to be expressed from an intimate, delicate and passionate, but respectable vision, whatever it is that the artist wants to convey. “The essential is invisible to the eye” is the quintessential phrase of the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that indicates that the true value of things is not always evident. I do not write to convince anyone, just as the painter does not paint to decorate, but to feel everything that cannot be seen or told.
The Sevillian artist, who was chosen by the General Council of Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of Seville for the creation of this poster, is a painter who graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts of our city and whose extensive international career has led him to exhibit his works in multitude of countries such as Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States, among others.
Seville dresses in passion red and, although not everyone has the same tint, it shares an initial and blood with this painter. They say that color is sensory and individual, therefore subjective, but Salustiano red is what has been talked about in this our Lent. My dear Seville, involved, skilled and engaged, but not for anything, are the major arts.
What was your inspiration to create the Holy Week poster in Seville?
In the light. In the light that exists within each of us and that reminds us that we are made of divine breath.
What artists or movements influence your painting style?
It might seem obvious that he painted like the masters of classicism. Formally, this could be it, but conceptually I am closer to the cave painter. Art is born with a religious and magical intention, not decorative, as we might think. The Cro-Magnon man represented in the caves everything that he wanted to be given to him by nature, he was representing his desire. I represent mine: an ideal, serene world, full of beauty, as synonymous with absolute good. That said, I am very permeable to the beauty in nature, airport runways, soap advertisements, the way Antonioni or the Coen brothers have of telling emotions, the acid humor of Berlanga cinema. I could say an endless number of influences but, above all, the main ones are nature, silence and shyness.
How do you feel about the criticism and praise that his work has received?
All artists know that our work is exposed to criticism. It’s normal not to be liked by everyone and I’ve never tried to do that. I continue my path regardless of these criticisms and, above all, the flattery and praise. I often tell young artists that praise can do more damage to an artist than criticism.
What meaning does the color red have in your paintings?
In Spanish, the color red is also called colorado. Color and red have the same root (from the Latin coloratus; color, give color), so red represents the color itself. Red has great symbolic power; We all associate it with intense emotions, with strength, blood and passions. In Hebrew, the same word that names the color red also means blood; Furthermore, it names the element earth and gives its name to the first man, Adam. That is to say, this color has been closely linked since the beginning of time to the blood that carries life, to the beginning of life and, also, to its end when the blood is shed. For me, it is a metaphor for the transcendent.
What is the objective with your works before the viewer’s gaze?
Just excite. Emotion in a subtle and peripheral way, and thus be able to awaken them from their self-absorption. But, unlike other artists who try to wake them up with a slap in the face, I want to awaken his emotions the way I woke up my son Horacio when he was little to go to school; with care, with affection.
Do you consider that his work is made with total freedom from your artistic perspective in every sense?
Yeah.
Do you have limits in his paintings? which is it?
To answer, I am going to use the same text that I wrote for my collection “Territory of tenderness”, where I define the concepts or ideas that have no place in my work: From the beginning of my work as an artist I set out to tell the kind part of the life. And not because the pain, my own or that of others, was indifferent to me, but precisely the opposite. So, consciously and belligerently, without discouragement, I set out to portray exclusively the illuminated side of things. In this hostile world, each of us aspires to take refuge in a “sacred” place and I found it in painting, so that it allowed me to build a separate world, a limited territory, a territory that in my mind was a physical space. , not a state of the soul. I have titled my latest collection TERRITORY OF TERNURA and in it there are girls who carry guns and knives. This may seem nonsense, but it is the way I adopt to position myself in a symbolic territory. Just as the God of Genesis armed his angels with swords of fire to protect the Garden of Eden, my army of girls are warriors who, in the manner of such angels, defend my territory of tenderness, my Garden of Eden, to the point. of pistol.
What do you think of digital art and this new way of marketing digital assets taking into account that you released a collection of NFTs on OpenSea?
For me, virtual life has the same consistency as life through dreams. Often, we experience dreams with the same intensity as the emotions we feel while awake. Sometimes, that border between sleep and wakefulness appears blurred, as Plato defined it in “The Myth of the Cave” or as Segismundo also did, the character in “Life is a Dream” by Calderón de la Barca, in whose monologue he stated “that all life is a dream, and dreams are dreams.” The important thing in art is the artistic experience and it will be the same in real life, in dream life or in virtual life. I think digital art is here to stay. It will not be, as many people thought, a substitute for traditional art. I believe that the real and the virtual will coexist without problems, enriching each other.
Are your sketches created digitally or in the more classic way using pencil and paper?
Digital. I am a man of my time. Although once I had a clear idea, I made conscientious studies of the purity cloth, the potencies and the sores. They can be found in the current exhibition of the Cajasol Foundation.
Do you think there are two Sevilles and that they have dueled, once again, but this time because of their poster? How do you define the city today now that, I suppose, you know it better than ever?
Seville is a beautiful city, one of the most beautiful in the world. Aware of this, we Sevillians feel proud to be so. We are inhabitants of a strong tradition, or rather, traditions but, at the same time, we are open-minded and hospitable and gentle. I don’t think there are two Sevilles, it’s just that a part of it needs more time to digest the new. It already happened with Las Setas, it suffered a lot of criticism and today it is one of the most loved areas of the city.
Was the General Council of Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of Seville surprised by the result or was it within what they expected since the artist is clearly identified in his work?
The members of the council expressly asked me to paint “a Salustiano”, the painting greatly surprised them. When they came to my studio to see it, they remained silent for a long time. They were very moved by the beauty, the majesty and the truth that was in the painting, in their words.
What projects do you have for the future?
For the immediate future, try to rest, but this does not seem possible. Just after the opening at the Cajasol Foundation, I opened in Palm Beach, in a group exhibition that aims to create a dialogue between the art of the Renaissance, the Baroque and contemporary artists. Shortly, I will exhibit again in Palm Beach, with my gallery from Holland, Italy and New York. Right now I am working on the works that will go to the Museum of Fine Arts of Puerto Rico in April. In between, I’m painting some works for New York, Switzerland, Holland and Germany. For the short-term future, my main project is to try to be happy and at peace.
Artists site: https://salustiano.com
Artists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salustiano.co
Text: Carlota Acuña Ruano
