The best thing about art is discovering the diverse ways in which artists perceive reality and emotions, and express them. One might not understand or see anything in that art, but for the artists it does have a meaning, and they try to show it to the world.
I recently visited one of my favourite galleries, where the most varied art exhibitions are held, in all their forms, the Friends of the Country Economic Society. It’s funny because after going to their exhibitions every month for so long, the staff there now greet me and welcome me with a smile; they’re very friendly people.
I don’t usually look online to see what’s on display; I let myself be surprised, and on this occasion I saw huge, very large, colourful paintings that you can lose yourself in and imagine all sorts of things. Figuring out what was depicted in each one was a challenge, as the titles often left me confused, because I didn’t see what they described. In my opinion, it was all abstract art.
There were two artists, two art exhibitions in one, and both were very striking and expressive. Let’s start with the first one. As always, at the entrance there is an information leaflet with the artist’s thoughts and an explanation of what we will see in the galleries.
The first exhibition belongs to the artist Fernando de la Rosa, a Doctor of Art History, visual artist and drawing teacher, and a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo, Málaga.
“A House in the Countryside” 2026, collage, mixed media on canvas glued to an ocume board mounted on a stretcher.
“A Little House on the Beach” 2026, collage, mixed media on canvas glued to an okoumé board mounted on a stretcher.
“The House with the Flowerbeds” 2026, collage, mixed media on canvas glued to an okoumé board mounted on a stretcher.
“A Palace in the Clouds” and “A House in the Village” 2026, collage, mixed media on canvas glued to an okoumé board mounted on a stretcher.
He has held more than 60 solo and group exhibitions in various European countries, giving him a distinguished career in painting, printmaking, ceramics, illustration and much more. He has also published books such as “Picasso contra el color de las vanguardias”
According to the writings I found in the gallery and the information leaflet, his works are like maps or territories where forms overlap, intersect and share spaces, yet without losing their essence.
“A House on Paseo de Sancha” 2026, mixed media on canvas.
“A House in the Orchard” 2026, collage, mixed media on canvas glued to an okoumé board mounted on a stretcher.
“Portrait of a Little Tree Woman” 2025, mixed media on canvas glued to an okoumé board mounted on a stretcher.
There is a balance in every part of each painting, and a harmony between them. The boundaries are emphasised; there are many shapes, lines, and some edges that blend into the background. These are not realistic paintings; rather, there is a great deal of geometry in these Works, structures, like maps of different places, though they do refer to nature, without depicting traditional landscapes, as in the case of the painting depicting the countryside.
Several things caught my attention in these paintings: their size, the colours, and the lines and structures that contrast with great clarity.
On one of the walls is written this phrase: “Collage creates correspondences between calligraphy and the architecture of the landscape. The musicality of the painting can be heard.” For this reason, I believe it relates nature and its music to the forms, boundaries, lines and colours.
“Twins”, 2025, diptych, oil on canvas.
“Nocturne”, 2024, diptych, oil on canvas.
“Double”, 2026, oil on canvas.
“Head”, 2024, oil and cold wax on canvas.
“Bimbo”, 2023, oil on canvas.
The second art exhibition, at first glance, differs from the previous one due to its lighter, pastel colours. It belongs to the artist José Lizasoain, who holds a degree in Business Administration from Coastal Carolina University and a Master’s in Artistic Research and Production from the University of Málaga. He lives right here and devotes himself exclusively to painting.
He has held several solo and group exhibitions, as well as undertaken artistic production projects. He says: “For me, painting consists of working on the structure and material until the image exists on its own, without the need to explain anything.”
His works are in a state of constant transformation; colour, gesture and material create the space and give energy and air to the painting. In these works, one can see scratches, erasures, overlapping layers and adjustments, in other words, the traces of the process he has undertaken.
The aim is not perfection, but a balance between tension and change. The creative process is evident in every brushstroke.
“Palimpsesto”, 2023, oil on canvas.
“Module42”, 2022–2023, 42 drawings, oil on paper.
“Landschaft”, 2023, oil on canvas.
“The kiss”, 2025, oil on canvas.
What struck me as particularly noteworthy is that in some of his works there is a kind of strange language or script, and that makes them striking. He makes extensive use of the X as a structure, a crossing of forces, and I must say that of all the works, ‘Bimbo’ is my favourite, even though green isn’t my favourite colour and I never wear it.
On one of the walls in this room was written the following quote by the artist: “The painting is not closed off. It is a territory of combat and reconciliation. Colour inhabits it.”
There were two different art exhibitions, and I must say, I was surprised by the size of the works you can see in the general photos of the gallery. Two or three of them were my favourites, and if you have a favourite, I’d love to hear about it.
Thank you very much for joining me today; I wish you a lovely Sunday. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
