Miguel Oriola - Sin Título/ Bodegón/ Lirios

Unique photograph of the well-known Miguel Oriola, hand-signed. It belongs to my private collection.

Miguel Oriola (Alcoy, 1943 – Madrid, 2020) was a distinguished Spanish photographer belonging to the so-called “Fifth Generation” and one of the key figures in the renewal of photography in Spain during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Linked in his early years to the influential and mythical Nueva Lente magazine, his career moved on the margins of art with a marked transgressive character, distancing himself from conventional formalism to explore plastic depth, chiaroscuro, and formal experimentation.

Throughout his career he balanced his personal, authorial work with specialized teaching —being a professor and director of workshops and seminars— and with forays into fashion photography and musical album covers for renowned artists and designers. His work has been exhibited individually and collectively in numerous countries and is part of public collections and reference museums at national and international levels, such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.

This photograph of Miquel Oriola presents a floral study with a classicist tint and a deep plastic charge, where three entwined lilies, subtly speckled with dew drops, emerge from a rigorously black background. The mastersful use of chiaroscuro enhances the velvet texture of the petals and their sinuous curves, endowing the still life with a sculptural, elegant, and timeless presence that directly dialogues with the great tradition of pictorial still life.