VICTOR SOLANA (Zaragoza, 1985).
"Assumption".
Oil on canvas.
Signed, dated and titled on the back.
Measurements: 131 x 162 cm.
As can be seen in this composition, Victor Solana, part of a pictorial tradition, heir to the great masters, such as El Greco, Zurbarán, and Velázquez. From them he rescues the aerial perspective, the mystical color, the stark spirituality, and the use of light, while applying his own personal aesthetics. The image is starred by a single character that repeats itself rhythmically, which speaks to us of serialization and technical reproducibility. On an indeterminate background, the protagonist stands out for his tense face, of a striking red color, and crowned with horns like a demon. This characteristic, as well as the title, helps to introduce a theme of religious heritage. This work was part of the artist's solo show "They make love in the name of the devil", a title inspired by an old and worn clipping from Interview magazine in the seventies, which speculated on the rituals of the Manson family.
Victor Solana graduated in Fine Arts from the University of San Carlos de Valencia in 2009. Although it is worth mentioning that his exhibition career began two years before finishing his studies, since in 2007 he participated in several exhibitions nationwide. Throughout his career he has obtained several mentions in painting competitions, highlighting the Aragonese Artist Award under 35 years, in 2014. Regarding his exhibition career, Solana has had solo exhibitions in cities such as Zaragoza, Huesca, Valencia, Segovia and Berlin. In 2015 a complete retrospective of the artist's work took place, located in different art centers in Teruel (Spain) entitled" Víctor Solana: SUBWAY" of which a catalog was published compiling all his work so far. His artistic production is characterized by the fundamental use of painting, showing a great interest in the vindication of this genre, of which he starts with a great tradition, applying his own personal idiosyncrasy. It is worth mentioning that his production goes beyond the canvas, drinking from other sources such as the graphic novel, a genre in which he has ventured through the publication of "El subsuelo", published by GP Ediciones. Today his work is represented in various collections, both private and public, among which are: La Fundación Caja Rioja, Galería Cristina Marín, Zaragoza, Musarco, Museo de arte contemporáneo Aragonés, la casa de juventud de Zaragoza, el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza, and the Real Academia de Historia y Arte de San Quirce, de Segovia.