Auto retrato en azul (self portrait in blue) 1999

Ramon Oviedo made this self-portrait in blue paint, and what strikes me is how the color does all the work. The painting's surface feels almost like skin, doesn't it? There's a real physicality to it. The way the paint is layered, thick in some spots, thin in others, gives the face a sense of depth and texture, a feeling of age and experience. Look at the lines around the mouth and eyes. They're not just lines, they're grooves, carved into the surface with the brush. It reminds me of the way we build up layers of experience over time. But the magic is really in the way he uses blue. It's not just one blue, it's a whole symphony of blues, from the deepest indigo to the palest sky blue. And that hint of red around the nose, it’s like a tiny spark of life. It makes me think of Picasso's blue period, but with a warmth and humanity that's all Oviedo's own. Art is a conversation, isn't it?