In the development and evolution of my work, it was vital to find a way to represent the human being without the use of the elements with which we commonly associate the human figure. That's how I came to take medical images (scans and MRIs) as a model; a representation that is less obvious, but more attached to the human being in a physical and deeply intimate sense. Without the figurative charge of a classic portrait, by using these organic forms that represent the human being in the new context of my works, I propose to the viewer reflections on our relationship with the environment; physically, culturally and emotionally.
The work "On the Rock" is part of this body of work that I have been developing for several years, where I use medical examinations to speak through my drawings and paintings of human existence, the relationship with the world of health, technology, nature, and the intimate personal experiences behind each image taken from medicine.
In this drawing, emphasis is placed on the dimension of 'place', where the representation enters the landscape. To make it, the rocky texture of a breaker is used, and the figures of a spine are presented as if engraved on the skin of their natural environment. It thus becomes a scenery that leads us to immerse ourselves intimately in body and territory fused.
Representing the body like this is a way of reflecting on the human being, where the image of a spine placed on the landscape speaks of our relationship with the environment: on the one hand through the intentional similarity of the spine with the landscape that geographically ties it to its context and on the other hand through the represented human being who invades the landscape.
Visually, the concepts are worked through tonal variations of the graphite blocks and graphite pencils chosen for this drawing, emphasizing the parallel between the undulating forms of the spine and the rocky landscape. With these materials, a mixed effect of hardness and gradients is achieved, preserving delicacy and details.
Materials: graphite pencils and graphite blocks on paper.
