Manuela Fernández or The Tension of Color
by Antonio Ventura for And-Art Works Magazine
Since the beginnings of lyrical abstraction at the start of the last century, the trace of some form of figuration has pulsed through all works of this artistic current. It is within geometric abstraction that any hint of figuration disappears. In this context, the organic element, however slight its presence may be, becomes one of the defining features of that form of abstraction, as though creators felt that letting go of this anchor would lead them to a formal risk they were not willing to take.
It might seem, therefore, that the presence of the figurative in this sphere of painting could be a shortcoming. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my view, than considering the work of certain painters—such as that of Manuela Fernández, an impeccable creator of subtle spaces—to be diminished by this characteristic.
Whether in her still lifes, her landscapes, or her figures—alone or in groups—the intention to evoke the figurative is evident. It is not, in any case, a blurred or minimal figuration, both of which could serve merely as a pretext for an organic composition. No. Here, the artist’s intention is to present a rigorous pictorial composition in which color, always applied with subtlety, builds a stage where tension is the true protagonist, and where the figurative becomes a mark of identity.
Manuela Fernández is fully aware of the risk she assumes when she dispenses, in the finished work, with any trace of drawing, delegating to color the full responsibility for composition. It makes no difference whether we are confronted with a group of figures or with a single one, closer to the viewer. The sensation that overtakes us is the same: precise yet subtle brushstrokes create an atmosphere of harmony or contrast, depending on the case, always with the presence of a vivid pigment that becomes the essential element, applied with great sensitivity and consistently characteristic of her paintings.
It is striking: one feels that this is a work with which it would be very comfortable to live. Not because it is simple—on the contrary—but because it is uncomplicated, or, in other words, the highest formulation of completeness. It may appear to be a paradox, but it is not. The most complex achievement, when the artist—as in this case—is fully aware of the aesthetic game she is playing, is precisely that which is defined by simplicity.
Allow yourself the pleasure of experiencing this by approaching any of her works.
