This Spanish painter, with deep British roots, feels as comfortable in London as he does in Madrid. His work has dazzled critics and art lovers alike, and after a long period away from the limelight, he has arrived back in London to shake a little bit the capital’s art scene.
Baletzena has taken a long gap since he last exhibited and now has chosen London for his reappearance in the public eye. His work is currently been shown at the West Contemporary Gallery in trendy Shoreditch. The artist is currently working on a series of paintings about London in which he gives an intimate and personal view of the City, depicting places and atmospheres where he feels immersed; familiar places that transmit him certain states of mind, in his own words: “Atmospheres that communicate to me in a very intimate manner”.
Strong, raw, expressive, bohemian and melancholic are some adjectives that describe his powerful oil paintings. Baleztena’s paintings are expressive psychological works, self-portraits of his soul and mind. Talking with the artist about what’s to come, he responds: “About my life and work in the future, I have to say that I don’t have any premonitions or clear visions, I just take life as it comes and will try to extract the important substance that it offers me”.
His portraits and self-portraits are particularly powerful. His unconventional approach to portraiture results in very powerful images, which leave the viewer with the impression that they are reaching into the soul of the subject through the emotions of the artist. Actually, his portraiture was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery some years ago, as part of the BP Portrait Award.
Working on oil on canvas, Tomás immerses himself in the raw emotion of this medium, which is best reflected on his self-portraits, extremely intense and thought provoking. “They are psychological works, self-portraits of my soul and mind”, says the artist.
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