Art surprises you, I always say so, and even more so when you encounter a particular art form or technique for the first time, but also when you discover a new artist and learn a little more about them and their work. This is exactly what happened a few days ago when I visited the Thyssen Museum in Málaga.
In one of the small galleries dedicated to temporary exhibitions, which itself consists of two smaller romos, I came across the exhibition by Manuel Franquelo, an artist unlike any other, unique in his style; or at least, I’d never seen anything quite like it before.
When I entered the room, which, incidentally, was painted a very elegant grey, against which the works, all framed, stood out, I noticed there was quite a lot of information about the artist, and I loved taking a moment to find out more about him.
Through his works, he created a world of his own, humble and simple, yet one that has earned him a reputation as a great artist. He hasn’t produced a vast number of works, and this is down to his meticulous, even obsessive, attention to detail and the fact that his working process was very slow. I can’t imagine how long it must have taken him to complete each of these pieces.
Still Life with a Bird, 2003, platinum-palladium photographic print.
But what’s interesting is that they enlarge every work, every image I bring them, so that they can see the detail in each one; that’s what impressed me most. An artist who withdrew into a world of his own, who didn’t follow what was in fashion, trends or the market. It was just him and his works, and in that way it seemed as though time stood still, as though it were an eternal world. That is why I believe he was a very special artist.
Untitled (Landscape of the Ensanche de Vallecas), 2008–2009, pencil and wash on panel.
In my world I feel no pain, 2006, pencil and wash on panel.
He was born in this city and, as a tribute to him, the museum, together with the artist’s family, organised a small but very interesting exhibition, one that was very personal, intimate and minimalist. Yet, looking at these works, we can appreciate the sheer volume of work produced by Franquelo.
Untitled, 2003, platinum-palladium photographic print (unfinished project)
It consists of fourteen prints plus two photographic prints, and they demonstrate this solitary, experimental work, for which he was awarded the National Prize for Printmaking in 1998. If you look at each of the works, you can appreciate that minimalism, the objects that were important to the artist and with which he created his own world, as if each work, and then all of them together, were a collection of moments, of instants. I think he paid a great deal of attention to each of them and to every detail, and it is in this respect that I felt a strong connection.
The fourteen engravings were produced using multiple plates based on a series of photographs taken by Franquelo in his studio. He used a 9x12 cm Kodak camera and Polaroid film. The original images were digitised, manipulated by the artist and transferred to copper plates using the photo-aquatint process. He applied abrasive and drypoint techniques to the plates. The prints are on Japanese paper and Arches Velin.
Franquelo died in Madrid in 2024, and two of his drawings are urban landscapes of that city. For him, the world was a collection of inert objects, forms organised in space, which could quietly become part of life.
What struck me most was the technique used by the artist, the meticulous attention to detail he applied to every part of the works, as if each one were just as important as the next. I must emphasise that if you enlarge the works, you will see what I mean. Each one represents a small world brimming with simplicity, containing few things, but those that mattered to the artist.
Another interesting aspect is that all the works are in black and white; this lends a sense of nostalgia or stillness, an inner world.
I wasn’t familiar with the artist or his work, but I always enjoy learning a little more about art, and I realise there’s a vast amount I still have to learn, which excites me.
Thank you very much for reading today; I wish you all a lovely Sunday. See you soon. Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
