José Ibañez | Milagro, Navarra, Spain
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untitled, 1984
oil on canvas, 175x98cmThis painting was created in the summer of 1984, while Ibañez was house-sitting the townhouse of the French painter and art critic Macavoy. In its studio, Ibañez created this artwork together with a small number of other still lifes. Observing carefully, all parts of this composition permeate a red glow; even the beautifully draped blue cloth on the floor contains touces of red. A distorted perspective has been adopted as the table top is set at a relatively sharp incline. In the stillness the vibrating colours seem even more intense. We are led from the table to the background, which has been simplified and may leave us wondering what might lie beyond the broadly painted cross on the wall which takes up such a prominent position. Baring in mind other paintings by the artist of the period, perhaps the still life contains ecclesiastical significance.
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untitled, 1988/90
oil on canvas, 160x113cmRight hand side
The striking and very intimate painting is part of a monumental 50 work series created by the artist in the 1980’s entitles Elevations (Elevaciones). The artworks follow a uniting theme; they display majestic flights of stairs leading up towards altars or gateways. The strict symmetry and structuring create harmony. Yet, the austere design is juxtaposed by the superb use of colour, as the whole painting seems to be bathed in warm light. The artist applied a unique layering technique and painted complimentary colour flakes to produce a deep and vibrating glow.As the steps start right at the lower picture edge of the painting, we seem to be invited to delve into this very intimate scene. The stairs may be a metaphor for the journey the soul takes through prayer or contemplation; ultimately uniting with the divine.
Left hand side
untitled, 1993
oil paint, canvas, 130x97cm
Created in a transitory period (1991-93), the last work before embarking on his final series The Gliding Angel (El Vuelo del Angel), this deeply moving and mysterious work is regarded as the heart of the museum.The artist presents a very pure form of abstraction through the most sensitive manipulation of colour. A burning light seems to radiate from the very core of the painting. In the same tonalities, a light beam sweeps downwards. The background is rendered in a deep purple that still lets light filter through. It is an arresting image that is sometimes described as a wound, a heart, a key or a gateway. Regardless of how it may be interpreted, so many who visit Museu Raset are inspired by it.