REY VÉLIZ - Metrópolis, la gran torre

• Artist: Reinaldo Véliz (Havana, Cuba)

• Title: Metropolis, the Great Tower

• Year of creation: 2023

• Technique: Oil on canvas

• Dimensions: 81 x 46 cm

• Signature: Signed and dated by the artist in the lower left corner

• Condition: Excellent condition. Varnished, satin gloss. Direct provenance from the artist's studio.

• Presentation: The artwork is shipped unstretched, carefully packed in a rigid cardboard tube for maximum protection.

• Certificate of Authenticity: Includes a hand-signed certificate of authenticity. This certificate confirms that the piece is an original, unique work, protected by copyright, and that it wholly belongs to the artist’s body of work. It is a valid document for collectors, galleries, auctions, and future appraisals.

• Shipping: The work is shipped in highly secure packaging, wrapped in crystal paper over the painted surface and bubble wrap, inside a rigid cardboard tube specially designed to protect the piece during transport. This method ensures the piece arrives intact, with no creases or damage, regardless of distance or destination country. The shipment includes a tracking number for full transparency throughout the process.

• Note: The photographs are illustrative and to scale approximately; please check the real dimensions. Colors may vary slightly depending on the screen.

Rey Véliz

I am a Visual Artist born in Havana (Cuba) where I graduated with a Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Provincial School of Fine Arts of San Alejandro. There I held several solo and group exhibitions, and some of my works have reached private collections not only in Cuba but also in several countries around the world such as Portugal, the United States, France, Spain, Mexico, and Brazil.

Since 2006 I have resided in Madrid (Spain), where I have continued studying Fine Arts at different academies such as Academia C10 and the prestigious “Madrid Academy of Art.” This has solidified my formation as an artist who navigates different pictorial styles and can focus on figurative, realistic, and concrete art or a surrealist art with total flight of the imagination.

Metropolis, the Great Tower

As a Cuban painter, arriving in Madrid marked a rebirth in my understanding of light and urban space. From the first day, the Metropolis Building captivated me with its Beaux-Arts majesty, but it was after almost twenty years living and breathing this city that I felt the maturity needed to pour its essence onto the canvas. This work is not just an architectural portrait; it is my personal tribute to the capital that welcomed me, blending the sensitivity and warmth of my Caribbean roots with the imposing and stately European history that defines this Madrid icon.

At the base of the painting, I wanted to freeze a historical testimony of our time: the presence of a solitary figure, seated and sheltered behind a sanitary mask. This character embodies the atmosphere of isolation from the 2020 pandemic, transforming the picture into a visual metaphor of human resilience. I sought to capture that moving contrast where the eternity of limestone remains unmoved against the fragility, silence, and vulnerability of daily life under Madrid’s sky.

For this work I chose oil on canvas, a technique that allows me to work in layers and achieve the density and volume needed to sculpt with the brush the reliefs, columns, and moldings of the façade. My brushstroke aims for a precise balance: rigorous and detailed when modeling the upper architecture and the dome, but looser, fluid, and suggestive at the urban base. With this I aim to generate a real atmosphere, where the viewer can feel the depth of the air and the movement of traffic.

In my palette I predominately use ivory, pearl, and bluish grays, a clean range with which I seek to capture the mythical Velázquez-like light of Madrid’s sky. The strong contrast and visual force of the work sing in the dense blacks and ultramarine blues of the slate dome, crowned by the warm ochre and gold of the winged Victory. To break the sobriety and connect the painting with the vibrant reality of everyday life, I decided to introduce a bold splash of color with the cadmium yellow of the traditional mailbox and the reddish accents of the cars, injecting a chromatic dynamism that brings the scene to life.

Rey Véliz

https://www.reyvelizart.es
https://www.instagram.com/rey_veliz_art