Landscape of Xàtiva 1988

Alejandro Cabeza made this painting of the Landscape of Xàtiva, probably in oil. The colour palette is fairly limited, lots of muted browns and greens, and it feels like he’s building up the image through layers. You can see how artmaking is a process, an ongoing exploration. I love the way the brushstrokes are visible, especially in the foreground. You can almost feel the texture of the earth, it's dry and dusty. The paint looks fairly thin, which gives it a kind of transparency, but also allows the light to bounce around, making it glow. The way the land leads your eye up towards the horizon it reminds me a little bit of Corot, but much moodier. And the little white building, just there on the brow of the hill – it’s a focal point, but it's also kind of mysterious. What’s going on there? It’s a painting that invites questions, and leaves space for multiple answers.