Atocha 1964

Antonio Lopez Garcia made "Atocha" with paint, and the way he lays down the colors feels like a process of layering and uncovering. The material quality of this painting is remarkable; the texture is built up, almost like a topographical map of the city, with thick and thin passages of paint creating a palpable surface. I'm drawn to the lower left corner, where the paint seems almost muddy, grounding the figures to the space. The paint handling in the figures, their softness, is a stark contrast to the hard lines of the buildings behind them. This contrast isn't just visual; it sets up a conversation between intimacy and the urban landscape, warmth and cold. Lopez Garcia reminds me a bit of Lucian Freud, in his dedication to realism, but also in the way he embeds emotion into the paint itself. It's not just about what's depicted, but how it's depicted, that opens up multiple ways of seeing and experiencing the world.