Raúl Hernández (XX) - Composición abstracta

Abstract Composition – Mixed Media on Paper (Watercolour, Gouache, Ink and Pencil), 1976

Original artwork created in 1976 by the Spanish artist Raúl Hernández Méndez, born in Melilla, of Canarian origin and later based in Madrid. Hand-signed and dated in the lower right corner.

Raúl Hernández Méndez began his exhibiting career in the early 1970s, participating in numerous solo and group exhibitions between 1973 and 1990. He subsequently continued his artistic activity in Madrid, where he maintains his studio and gallery at the Nuevas Galerías del Rastro. His work has also been exhibited at institutions such as the Ateneo de Madrid.

His work is characterised by an artistic investigation based on colour, asymmetry and an intuitive approach to composition, developed through the constant practice of drawing from life as the foundation of his creative process.

This work belongs to an early stage in the artist's career. The composition develops an abstract language of constructive organisation, in which broad chromatic fields serve as the framework for a group of organic forms distributed with balance and spatial precision. Already, some of the principles that would later define his artistic production can be observed, such as an interest in compositional asymmetry, the prominent role of colour, and a free and intuitive conception of pictorial space.

His artistic language has been associated by art critics with various currents of European and American abstraction from the second half of the twentieth century.

Against a background of bluish-grey tones and reddish earth colours emerges a group of organic forms, small geometric elements and floating spheres that provide depth, rhythm and visual balance. The arrangement of the different elements creates an open composition in which the empty spaces are given as much importance as the represented forms.

Executed in mixed media on paper—watercolour, gouache, ink and pencil—the work displays a confident execution and an appreciable chromatic richness. The combination of transparencies, washes and fine linear accents creates an image of remarkable visual delicacy while maintaining a notable balance between spontaneity and compositional control.

The work is preserved in very good condition, showing only the slight natural undulations of the paper typical of water-based techniques and the passage of time.

The artwork is presented in a gilt wooden frame with protective glass and a traditionally sealed back.
Framed dimensions: 38.5 × 28 cm.

An interesting original work created in the 1970s, representative of an early stage in Raúl Hernández Méndez's career and particularly suitable for collectors of works on paper and contemporary Spanish abstract art.