COVID-19
SPECTATORS
GUERNICA – The COVID-19 SPECTATORS
Acrylic on Canvas – 84 x 48″
Guernica – as the subject matter relates to the Basque Country and the Civil War it is personal and a topic of conversation for all Basques.”
“…Guernica is a large 1937 oil painting on canvas by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. One of Picasso’s best known works, Guernica is regarded by many art critics as one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history. It is exhibited in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.
Ygartua’s journey to the Imaginary Global Kingdom of COVID-19 takes a turn, now visiting some of the most prestigious museums in the world. “Guernica” is on exhibition at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain.
PAUL YGARTUA was greatly influenced by Picasso in many aspects – his heritage is Basque, his father attained political asylum in England due to the Spanish Civil War and felt the personal suffering of an expatriate. It was the same deep rejection of ones patriarchal country that Picasso felt when he left his homeland and rejected his country because of the atrocities of the civil war. Picasso reacted with retaliation when he created his masterpiece Guernica. Commissioned by the Paris government for the 1937 World Fair in Paris, it expressed his deepest sentiment towards all people at times of bereavement…”
MONA LISA
Acrylic on Canvas – 40 x 63″ ($10,000)
The original oil painting of the Mona Lisa (77x53cm) was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503 and has been on permanent exhibition at the Louvre Museum, Paris (since 1797) . The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world.” Wikipedia
MONA LISA – THE COVID-19 MUSEUM SPECTATORS
“Art nourishes the soul–I feel connected when I am creating, it is my life force, it is my joie de vivre, every hour, every day–to (access) tap into the subconscious and bring surreal worlds to life.”
I have always been fascinated with the history of the Mona Lisa and the conspiracy theories going along with it; the mystery of her smile embodies a deeper meaning and expression. It has always been a test, a challenge to capture the facial expression that dominates her persona. I have painted the Mona Lisa once before when living in Cannes, S. France–it was acrylic on canvas, 4x4ft. It ended up stolen in Amsterdam sometime in the 90’s. So, I was motivated to paint it again, looking for subject matter for my COVID-19 Series THE MUSEUM SPECTATORS–introducing my Coronavirus and assistants, like the shark and its pilot fish.”
While living, painting and exhibiting with galleries in Paris and participating in many international Paris based shows, (including the Carousel at the Louvre) I had the opportunity to take advantage of the museums and over the years I did visit Mona Lisa a few times. It is always exciting, inspiring and fulfilling. It is an experience that is hard to describe, there is so much there. The concentration of architecture, culture, cafes, food, wine, art, rich history, all in one city and the home of the world’s most visited galleries and monuments.
A legendary capital of the arts, Paris hosted some of the most celebrated developments in world culture–particularly at the beginning of the twentieth century, with the flowering of fauvism, cubism, dadaism, and surrealism.
DALI, COVID-19 Spectators (portrait of Dali)
Acrylic on Canvas – 48 x 60″
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquess of Dalí de Púbol was a Spanish Surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship and the striking and bizarre images in his work. Born in Figueres, Catalonia, Dalí received his formal education in fine arts at Madrid. Born May 11, 1904, Figueres, Spain, died January 23, 1989.
Salvador Dali was a prominent Spanish surrealist born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. He was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931. His expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, at times in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. Dalí attributed his ‘love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes’ to an ‘Arab lineage’, claiming that his ancestors were descendants of the Moors. Dalí was highly imaginative, and also enjoyed indulging in unusual and grandiose behavior.
“I feel privileged as an artist to live in the same village or city of some of the most famous artists of our time. When one is surrounded by the presence of such greatness it is inspiring and is often influential with a powerful presence whether one is aware or not. It becomes part of your mind-set–it is a constant learning experience that is challenging and exciting and when you are right there in Dali’s hometown, Cadaques, the location of one of my favourite studios for the last ten years. I feel it is a privilege and an honour and to express my gratitude for what I have encountered in the very special Catalan village, Cadaques, I painted these two paintings as a Tribute to Salvador Dali’s genius.”
DALI, Figueres, Spain COVID-19 Spectators
Acrylic on Canvas – 48 x 60″
Original Painting by Salvador Dali “Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War)
Painted in 1936, oil on canvas, 60cm x 99cm (40×40″) Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection