REY VÉLIZ - El juego del poder

• Artist: Reinaldo Véliz (Havana, Cuba, b. 1973)

• Title: The Game of Power

• Year of creation: 2020

• Technique: Oil on canvas

• Dimensions: 60 x 81 cm

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

• Condition: Excellent state of preservation. Satin-bright varnish finish. Direct provenance from the artist's studio.

• Presentation: The work is sent without a frame, carefully packed in a rigid cardboard tube for maximum protection.

• Certificate of Authenticity: Includes a hand-signed certificate of authenticity by the artist. This certificate assures that the piece is an original, unique and exclusive work, protected by intellectual property rights, and that it belongs entirely to the artist's corpus. It is a valid document for collectors, galleries, auctions and future appraisals.

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

• Note: The photographs are illustrative and to approximate scale; please consult the real dimensions. Colors may vary slightly depending on the screen. The photos of the painting in interior spaces were taken with AI.

Rey Véliz

I am a visual artist born in Havana (Cuba) where I graduated with a Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Provincial Academy 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 various 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 continued studying Fine Arts at different academies such as the C10 Academy and the prestigious “Madrid Academy of Art.” This has solidified my training as an artist who navigates across different painting styles and who can focus on figurative, realistic and concrete art or abstract, expressionist and surreal art with a total flight of imagination.

The Game of Power

As a Cuban painter based in Madrid since 2006, in this work created in 2020 I explore a markedly surrealist, satirical and conceptual vein. The canvas poses a provocative dialogue about the dynamics of power, the European economy, and the everyday worker in the face of mythological heritage. The central figure, the faun — half man, half goat — subverts classical majesty by baring from the waist down, while his torso wears a denim sports jacket in a modern, sporty style, crowned by a Roman helmet with a red plume. Carrying a mop as if it were a spear or a standard of arms, this character stands as a gladiator of daily routine. Opposite him, the imposing stone lion, guardian of law and order, rests its paw on a football instead of its heraldic sphere, introducing mass entertainment and distraction into this chessboard where social destiny is at stake. Under the motto “EURO EYPO” and the large number “10” — directly evoking the symbolism and value of a 10-euro bill — the work invites a pointed reflection on identity, effort, money, and the symbols of contemporary Europe.

Painted in oil on canvas, this piece requires rigorous academic drawing to sustain the plausibility of the surreal scene. I have applied subtle glazes and precise modeling to render the relief of the stone lion’s sculpted fur and mane, as well as the muscular anatomy and the goat-like legs of the faun. The perspective of the checkered floor adds imposing geometric depth, contrasting with the flat brick background and the architectural arches that frame the scene, guiding the eye through a space that is purely theatrical and dreamlike.

The color palette is built on a base of earth tones, ochres, and reddish hues that dominate the brick background and the architecture, giving the composition a warm, classical or Pompeian atmosphere. This warm block is boldly broken by the denim blue and bright shade of the faun’s sporty jacket, which becomes the major focal point. The metallic glints of the helmet, the pure black-and-white of the football and the pavement, together with the vivid red of the plume, function as precise color accents that balance and energize the visual narrative of the canvas.

Rey Véliz

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